An Amourzing Tale of Two Lovers
by BALD BROCK
Summary: Starting with the plot of episode 22 in the Pokemon XY&Z series, this story tells the tale of Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and their adventures in the Kalos Region. Ash aspires to become a Pokemon Master while Serena hopes to become Kalos Queen. But, Serena's endearment for Ash proves problematic for her dream... Contains Amourshipping. AU story.
1. Chapter 1 - Careless Mistakes!

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. This story resumes from the events of episode 22 in the Pokemon XY and Z series. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1 - Careless Mistakes!**

The bright full moon rose overhead as Ash Ketchum and his friends Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont set up camp for the night on the side of a river. Clemont tended to the fire with Bonnie at his side, while Ash was busy training in the river with Pikachu and Greninja.

"Greninja, use Water Shuriken!" Ash commanded as Pikachu hopped high into the air, steering clear of Greninja's attack. Pikachu retaliated with a powerful Electro-Ball, but Greninja easily sliced the attack in half with a precisely aimed Cut. The split Electro-Ball smashed into the river, soaking Ash to the skin with the resulting splash.

"Greninja, use Double Team!" Ash exclaimed as he shook the water off. Serena had noticed that Ash was all wet and ran towards the river with a towel.

"Dry yourself before you get sick!" Serena yelled with concern, tossing the towel at Ash.

"Don't worry about it, everything will be alright." Ash dried himself with the towel. Suddenly, his nose twitched and itched and _ahh-ahhh-ACHOOOO!_

The sun rose bright and early, as did Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont. Clemont prepared breakfast while Serena and Bonnie set up the table.

Bonnie fidgeted with the utensils and then looked up at Serena. "Ash hasn't waken up yet. I wonder why he's late? He's usually the first one to wake up."

"You're right, Ash is still asleep! Would you please check up on him, Bonnie?" Serena glanced over to Ash's tent, noticing that the tent was still closed.

Bonnie scampered over to Ash's tent, reaching for the bottom flap to open up the entrance. Before she could open the tent, Ash groggily woke up and stumbled out of the tent on his own.

Serena walked over to Ash and greeted him. "Good morning, Ash! Don't forget to go wash your face-" Serena was abruptly cut off as Ash, with a feverish look on his face, slumped towards her. Bonnie moved out of the way as Ash took slow, shaky steps, one after another, towards Serena.

Serena nervously looked at Ash as he approached her. _Uhhmmm… what's Ash doing?_ When Ash reached Serena, he stumbled and leaned onto Serena's belly, clutching her arms with his two hands. _Whaaaa!_ Serena gasped as Ash embraced her, feeling her cheeks blush.

"Serena... " Ash looked up at Serena, fixating his eyes on her's. "Right… now…" Serena squealed at Ash's sudden words, her cheeks becoming a deep, rosy pink. "I… I…" Ash firmly grabbed hold of Serena's right hand. Serena's mind ran wild. _What's going on?! Is he going to say it?! Oh my gosh does he like me back?!_ Serena closed her eyes, nervous at what Ash was going to say. Her face was redder than a shiny Gyarados.

"I… Iron tail, Pikachu…" Ash stuttered as he lost consciousness and collapsed onto the ground. Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie immediately ran towards Ash, concerned about what had happened.

"Ash… Ash!" Serena shook Ash in her arms. She placed her hand on his forehead, which felt hotter than a Tamato Berry.

"He's got a fever," Clemont proclaimed as he lugged Ash back to his tent with the help of Bonnie and Serena. Ash lay in his sleeping bag, sweating profusely and breathing heavily. Serena placed a wet cloth on Ash's forehead to cool him down, washing and re-cooling the cloth now and then.

"Pika pi…" Pikachu's ears flopped down as he looked at Ash with a face of concern.

"There's nothing to worry about, Pikachu," Bonnie coaxed Pikachu.

Clemont adjusted his glasses and nodded his head to reassure Pikachu that everything would be alright. "Bonnie and I will go to the nearest town and grab some medicine for Ash at the pharmacy." Serena pulled out her phone with a map to the local pharmacy and handed it over to Bonnie.

Clemont stood up and prepared to take off. "We'll hurry back as soon as possible."

As Clemont and Bonnie left the tent, Bonnie looked back with a sly grin and pulled the tent cover down, leaving Ash and Serena alone in the tent. Serena sighed and looked at Ash, wiping the sweat off his face with the wet cloth.

Serena called out Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon. "Would you please fetch me a new basket of water?"

"Pan cham cham!" Pancham made his way to the river with Braixen, refilling the basket with fresh, cool water.

Serena thanked her companions and refocused on caring for Ash. Ash's fever had died down a bit, and he seemed more at ease now than before. Serena placed the wet cloth on top of Ash's forehead and caressed his cheek with her hand, telling herself that she was only checking his temperature as an excuse to touch him.

Everything seemed fine to Serena. Bonnie and Clemont were on their way to the pharmacy, Ash was feeling much better than before, and Serena finally had some alone time with her love interest. She fondly looked at Ash, admiring his features. _He looks so adorable even when he's sick_. It was all peace and quiet for quite some time, but all of a sudden Serena heard a loud guitar riff outside the tent accompanied by a loud "YAHOO!"

* * *

I already have several chapters written, but I do not plan to release them until I receive feedback from the community so I can know if people actually enjoy my writing or if I'm just wasting my time. For now, this story is TO BE CONTINUED... (maybe) Toodles!


	2. Chapter 2 - Caught in the Act!

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2 - Caught in the Act!**

 _Oh for goodness sake, who's making so much noise right now?_ Serena became slightly agitated that someone was making a ruckus while Ash was trying to rest.

As Serena stepped outside, she was met by a loud, obnoxious punk rocker with a spiky yellow mohawk and face paint resembling his partner, a Pikachu with fluffed up hair on its head.

The boy screamed out at the top of his lungs while fingering his guitar. "My name is Jimmy! This is my rock partner Pikachu! We battle all the Pikachu that we see so we can be the best! I was informed that Ash of Pallet Town has a Pikachu, and that Ash is right here!"

Serena desperately tried to quiet Jimmy down, but his loud yelling overpowered Serena's soft voice. _Ash is still resting,_ Serena thought to herself. _I can't let Jimmy continue making so much noise or he'll wake Ash up!_

Jimmy looked surprised when Serena, with a large frown on her face, stormed towards him. Concerned for Ash, she pleaded for Jimmy to quiet down, a command that he followed after dramatically finishing up his flashy performance.

"Very well. Do you know Ash from Pallet Town?" Serena nodded yes. "Are you his girlfriend?" Serena turned red at hearing the word 'girlfriend' and nervously nodded her head no. "Where is Ash right now?" Jimmy continued to press Serena with more and more questions about Ash.

"He's… well, uhm… he's in the tent right now," Serena reluctantly stammered, looking worriedly back at the tent.

Jimmy's eyes lit up. "Great! I want to battle his Pikachu right now!"

Serena sighed and gave in to Jimmy's persistence. "Alright, I'll go get him for you." Serena walked into the tent and set her eyes on Ash. _He's sleeping so peacefully. It wouldn't be right to wake him up right now just because someone is challenging him to a battle. Besides, he needs his rest._

Pikachu looked nervously up at Serena, waiting for her to decide on what to do. "Chuuu…"

Serena glanced around the tent and happened upon Ash's clothes and his hat. It was evident that Serena had no other choice… She glared intently at Ash's clothes and picked up his hat. _I have to do this… for Ash's sake!_

Serena stepped out of the tent, fully clothed in Ash's outfit! Pikachu, aware of the situation, tagged along at Serena's side. "I'm Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and I accept your challenge!" Serena exclaimed, pointing her finger at Jimmy, reminiscent of Ash's pose when he challenged others to Pokemon battles.

Jimmy was fired up. "Let's begin!" Jimmy ordered his Pikachu to charge with a Quick Attack, and Serena followed suite. Both Pikachus collided head on, knocking each other back from the recoil.

The heated battle dragged on, but Serena was progressively losing her cool, especially when Jimmy's Pikachu used Dig. Pikachu noticed Serena's distress. "Pika! Pika pi!" Serena snapped out of her faze and nodded her head at Pikachu. Remembering Ash's battle with Clemont at the Lumiose Gym, Serena commanded Pikachu to use Iron Tail on the ground, knocking Jimmy's Pikachu into the air.

Noticing that Jimmy's Pikachu was midair and defenseless, Serena seized the opportunity. "Pikachu, Iron Tail, one more time!" The direct hit sent Jimmy's Pikachu flying back, smashing into the ground and creating a large dust cloud.

When the dust settled, Jimmy's Pikachu did not move. _I did it!_ Serena thought gleefully to herself.

Jimmy recalled Pikachu into its Pokeball. "Wow, you really had me beat. You're amazing, Ash!"

Serena nervously smiled. "Thank you!" Serena replied as she squealed internally at being called Ash.

Serena was so engaged in the battle that she didn't notice Ash had stumbled out of the tent, discombobulated and half-awake.

"Has anyone seen Pikachu?" Ash mumbled, tired but concerned for his best friend. He sluggishly looked around and saw another him, with Pikachu alongside the person. _Am I dreaming?_ Ash thought to himself.

Serena blushed madly and clumsily tried to hide herself when she realized that Ash was staring directly at her.

"Ash, this isn't what you think it is! You were asleep and someone was making a loud ruckus outside and they said you had a Pikachu and wanted to battle, but you were asleep and I saw your clothes inside, so I-" Her rambling was interrupted by Jimmy, who was even more confused than Ash was.

"Wait, which one of you is the _real_ Ash of Pallet Town?" Jimmy demanded. "I didn't come all the way here to fight a phony! Is that even a _real_ Pikachu?" His Pikachu loyally glared at Serena and Ash.

As if the situation was not already at its worst, Bonnie and Clemont returned from their trip. Bonnie was clutching a brown paper bag and raced over towards the group.

"Serena, we got the medicine! Sorry it took so long-your phone shut off on us and we had to navigate on our own to the town." Clemont gasped for air, finally catching up with Bonnie. "Wait… Serena?"

"I-I can explain!" Serena blushed from embarrassment.

Jimmy was tapping his foot on the ground, impatiently waiting for an answer. Ash was slumping around in circles, muttering "Food… food…," as his stomach grumbled.

Clemont smiled. "Well, I guess some things never change! I'll go and fix us up some lunch."

Bonnie walked after Clemont, sticking close to her brother. "Serena, you have **A LOT** of explaining to do."

Serena looked nervously at Jimmy and then at Ash. She ran towards Ash and helped him to the table. Ash looked confused at the sight of another Ash helping him towards the table.

Serena filled a glass with water and handed it to Ash. "You should take your medicine."

Jimmy casually strolled over to the table and took a seat. Ash was gulping the water like a Swallot.

"So...I guess I should explain why I'm dressed like this, huh?" Serena sighed anxiously. "Long story short, I just wanted to stop Jimmy from waking Ash up. You see, Jimmy, Ash is sick and wasn't able to battle you, and I thought by d-dressing up as Ash and battling you with Pikachu, I could stop you from disturbing Ash."

Jimmy, Clemont, and Ash sat in silence, staring at Serena in disbelief. Bonnie grinned and beamed at Serena. "Hehehe… I like your lock screen, Serena!"

Serena, having already gone red during her explanation, turned a deeper shade of red. Clemont, Jimmy, and Ash glanced at each other perplexedly.

"What does her lock screen have to do with Serena dressing up like Ash?" Clemont interrogated. Serena blushed even more, perhaps from embarrassment, and reached for her phone in Bonnie's hand. Bonnie teased Serena by waving the phone around in the air before giving it back to her.

"Well, I want my battle to be with the real owner of Pikachu, so I guess I'll stick around with you guys until Ash gets better," Jimmy interrupted boldly.

"And I'll make sure you get that battle!" Ash rasped, equally as bold, coughing right after his loud exclamation.

* * *

I figured that since the first two chapters are basically a re-telling of episode 22, I might as well release the second part as well (with a twist, of course). Next time: Chapter 3 - Parting Ways! For now, toodles!


	3. Chapter 3 - Parting Ways

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. I hope no one is disappointed that the first two chapters are quite similar to episode 22... I just had to include them as the exposition for the story. Finally something original, haha. Anyways, Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3 - Parting Ways**

The peaceful sunrise at dawn was disrupted by a forceful Thunderbolt. Ash had gotten better from a good night's rest and was up bright and early to keep his promise with Jimmy.

Several Thunderbolts and Quick Attacks later, Jimmy's Pikachu was motionless. Ash's Pikachu had won the battle yet again! The commotion from the battle woke Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont up.

Serena dreamily looked out of her tent at Ash, admiring his optimism and liveliness. _Oh Ash, you never change. You wake up bright and early in the morning, for what? A battle, of course!_

Serena's daydreaming was interrupted by Bonnie. "What are you looking at?" Bonnie teased with a smug grin on her face. Bonnie reached for Serena's phone and turned the device on. "Are you looking at this person?" Bonnie smirked, pointing at a goofy picture of Ash on Serena's lock screen.

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Serena shrieked, snatching her phone from Bonnie's hand.

Serena pouted as she walked out of her tent and helped Clemont set up the tables for breakfast. She could have sworn that she heard Bonnie giggling inside the tent.

When the food was ready, Clemont yelled out, "Bonnie! It's time for breakfast! Ash, Jimmy, you two join us, too!"

As she was eating, Serena occasionally glanced at Ash. "Ash, are you feeling better now?"

Ash looked up with his mouth full of bread. "Ywffeaffhh. Ffffwanks tffo yoou."

Serena wasn't sure if she was seeing things, but she thought she saw Ash wink at her as he spoke. "Everyone helped you get better!" Serena smiled, her cheeks tinted with a slight pink.

After the meal, everyone let out a huge sigh of satisfaction. "The food was great, Clemont. Thanks for having me." Jimmy chanted. "I hate to say it, but I must take my leave. Battling you was a great experience, Ash of Pallet Town!"

"Yeah, it sure was." Ash replied, smiling at his new friend. "We'll definitely have a rematch another time."

"Deal." Jimmy said as he bumped fists with Ash. As Jimmy walked down Route 21, he waved goodbye to Ash and the gang. As Jimmy waved goodbye, he looked at one person in particular- Serena. Ash noticed that Jimmy waved at Serena in particular before turning around and running off into the distance.

Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie continued their way to Snowbelle City, in pursuit of Ash's last gym badge. Ash was hyped up for his next gym battle as always, and he spent most of his day thinking of strategies.

"Remember the Snowpoint City Gym where we beat Candice, buddy?" Ash excitedly hopped around with Pikachu. "Yeah, I'll never forget when Chimchar helped us win the Icicle Badge. I think Talonflame would be a good matchup for the Snowbelle Gym."

"Pika! Pika pi." the little electric mouse stretched its face with its paws to resemble a familiar girl's face.

Ash's face brightened up at the sight. "Oh yeah, and who could forget about Dawn! She cheered for us the whole way through!"

Serena's face paled at hearing another girl's name. _Who is Dawn? Who's this other girl that Ash is talking about?_ Bonnie noticed Serena's worried complexion.

Bonnie pulled Serena behind Clemont and Ash until there was some distance between the boys and the girls. "I'm rooting for you, Serena! Beat that Dawn girl to Ash's heart!" Bonnie smirked.

Serena blushed at Bonnie's words. "How obvious are you going to make it to everyone?" Serena whispered, half angry and half embarrassed.

Bonnie giggled. "You make it obvious enough on your own already."

As the two girls whispered in the back, Ash and Clemont strode forward to Snowbelle City.

"Have you created a strategy against the ice-type gym yet?" Clemont asked, adjusting his glasses.

Ash, preoccupied with something else on his mind, didn't hear Clemont's question.

"Ash? You okay?" Clemont questioned with concern. Ash snapped out of his trance and looked at Clemont.

"Oh, I'm alright. Sorry. I was thinking of something that I saw... earlier…" Ash groaned.

Clemont curiously examined Ash. "Want to talk about it?"

Ash replied, "I want to… but I also don't want to. I feel like if I did say it, our group's relationship might be at stake."

"That's perfectly understandable!" exclaimed Clemont, adjusting his glasses such that the sunlight created a bright sheen on his lenses.

* * *

I can't help but feel that my chapters are too short... what do you guys think? Should I lengthen them? Or are they okay the way they are now? Please let me know! Next time: Chapter 4 - Mega Revelations! For now, toodles!


	4. Chapter 4 - Mega Revelations!

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

P.S. Judging by the number of views this story has received on the first day of publication, I think it's safe to say that people (maybe?) like my writing. However, I'd still really appreciate it if I had some feedback or reviews from the community. That would mean a lot to me, and it would let me know how I'm doing. Thanks again!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4 - Mega Revelations!**

Serena and Bonnie ran along the various clothing outlets along the main avenue of Snowbelle City, examining the coats, parkas, and the vast array of winter-themed clothing.

"These mittens look so pretty!" Serena exclaimed, pointing to a pair of Sylveon-themed mittens.

"This is sooooo cute!" Bonnie's eyes gleamed at the sight of a Delibird parka.

Ash and his friends arrived at Snowbelle City at last. While Clemont and Ash were off and about preparing for Ash's gym battle, Serena and Bonnie wandered around town, browsing through every clothing store in town.

Serena exhaled slowly and looked up. Little white puffs had begun to fall from the sky. Bonnie laughed when Serena's breath created a white vapor in front of her. "You're a dragon, you're a dragon!"

Serena smiled to herself, thinking about how silly and carefree Bonnie could be at times. "Let's go and find Ash and Clemont before the snow begins to pile up."

Behind the Pokemon Center, Clemont was tinkering with his tools and gadgets while Ash was practicing for his gym match. Greninja, Pikachu, and Talonflame threw attacks at one another and countered them at the same time.

"Done!" cheered Clemont, holding up a bracelet-shaped gadget. The bracelet was black with a hollowed out circular region in the center of the top of the bracelet.

Ash immediately shifted his attention to Clemont. His eyes lit up at the sight of the bracelet. "Science is sooo cool!"

Clemont proudly handed the bracelet over the Ash. "Allow me to explain. This bracelet is an apparatus for holding a keystone. I believe this may help you and Greninja unlock your full potential. Of course, I have neither the keystone nor the Greninjite. Oh, and here is a bracelet for Greninja."

Ash called out Greninja and attached the bracelet to its right arm. Greninja noticed their matching bracelets and grinned back at Ash.

Clemont packed his tools and gadgets back into his backpack. "Oh, and one last thing. Those bracelets acquire information about Mega-Evolution when you and Greninja experience the process. Professor Sycamore asked me for help on his research awhile back."

Ash and Greninja looked at each other and nodded. "Got it."

The door to the back of the Pokemon Center slid open and Serena and Bonnie came racing towards Ash and Clemont.

Serena immediately noticed the new bracelets that Ash and Greninja were wearing. "Wow, what are those?"

Ash rubbed his nose with his index finger. "Clemont created these bracelets for Mega-Evolution and its research." Serena nodded her head in understanding. "One problem is… I don't have a keystone. And I doubt anyone would know where to find a keystone, let alone a Greninjite…"

The wind whipped up and the snow began pelting the four friends who were still out in the back of the Pokemon Center. The four friends scampered towards the door.

Ash pushed the door to the right in attempt to slide it open, but the door would not budge. "The fringes of the door are frozen!"

"Metagross, use Psychic!" a mysterious voice commanded from the trees. A silver-grey Metagross with a Mega Stone attached to its arm by a brace emerged from the brush and became enveloped with a light blue glow. Focusing its psychic powers onto the frost on the fringes, Metagross opened the door for the four friends.

The four friends huddled inside to the cozy Pokemon Center. The Metagross floated inside, followed by its trainer, a man with steel-blue hair protruding out of a snow coat. The mysterious man took off his snow coat, revealing a person with steel-blue hair and eyes, several platinum rings, and a large ring with a keystone attached to his shirt pocket.

The man smiled warmly at the four friends. "Hello! My name is Steven Stone. I'm a rare rock collector. I have traveled to Kalos from my home, the Hoenn region, in search of Mega Stones and keystones."

Clemont squinted his eyes as if he were deep in thought. _Steven Stone… from the Hoenn region… Ahah!_ "You must be the Hoenn Champion, _the_ Steven Stone!"

Steven humbly replied, "You're absolutely correct, my friend. But let's get to the point here. I do apologize for my rudeness, but I overheard your conversation earlier. You mentioned a Mega Evolution and a Mega Stone for Greninja, but so far, I have never heard of a Greninja being able to Mega Evolve!"

Ash looked at Steven with concern. "Do you mean that Greninja and I have no way to control Mega Evolution?"

Steven reassured Ash and laid his hand on Ash's shoulder. "Worry not. Many things about Mega Evolution are still unknown. For instance, no one knew a Mega Evolution existed for Metagross until I happened to stumble into Metagrossite in some ancient ruins. A Mega Evolution for Greninja could well exist."

Ash's face lit up upon hearing this information.

Steven focused his attention on Ash's Greninja. "Your partner is a strong one. I can tell that you two have an immense and strong bond. I believe this may be of use to you."

Steven reached into his backpack and pulled out a velvet covered box. "Here," Steven offered the box to Ash. "Open it and see for yourself."

Ash thanked the kind man for his gift. Opening the box revealed a medium-sized marble with an intricate pattern in the center. "A keystone!" Ash tried the keystone onto his bracelet, and it was a perfect fit.

As Ash admired the new keystone in his possession, a sudden impulse came over him. He immediately saw a vision of the snowy capped mountains east of Snowbelle City. Within the mountains lay a cave…

"I think I might just know where the Greninjite is," Ash announced confidently to the group. Greninja looked at Ash and agreed.

"Well, best of luck finding it," Steven replied. "The keystone that I gave you… I gave you because I saw something special in you and your Greninja."

Ash was awed by the Champion's humility. "Thank you, Steven." Steven walked out of the Pokemon Center thereafter, with the snowstorm seemingly swallowing him and his Metagross whole. But Ash and his friends knew that a snowstorm was nothing for the Champion of the Hoenn region.

* * *

Steven Stone is my favorite Champion. I just had to throw him in here! Next time: Chapter 5 - Breaking the Ice! For now, Toodles!


	5. Chapter 5 - Breaking the Ice!

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5 - Breaking the Ice!**

"Ash, are you sure that it's a good idea to try and find the Greninjite right now, in the middle of a blizzard?" Clemont asked, shivering.

Bonnie looked warily at the howling wind and whipping snow. "I don't want to go to the mountains. I'm going to stay right here."

Serena walked towards Ash. "I think it's best if you waited for the blizzard to stall. If anything happened to you during your trip to find the Greninjite, I would-" Serena caught herself saying too much and stopped and blushed.

Ash and Greninja looked outside the window. "I have to go now… I don't know why, but I feel as if this storm is to test my bond with my Pokemon. A small storm won't bother _us_ , right, Greninja?"

Ash made his way towards the door with Greninja. Serena ran after him and placed her gentle hand on his shoulder. "Please, Ash, be careful…"

Shocked at her own display of affection, Serena blushed and quickly removed her hand from Ash's shoulder. Ash seemed to appreciate Serena's worry for his well being. He grinned genuinely. "Don't worry Serena, I'll be alright."

Serena thought to herself, _the last time you said that you ended up getting sick!_ But she was in no position to stop Ash. Once Ash had made up his mind, there was no stopping him. Alone with Greninja, Ash set off for the mountains east of Snowbelle City in the midst of the blizzard.

Pikachu looked worried for his trainer. "Chuuu…" Bonnie hugged Pikachu and took out her comb. She groomed the worried mouse.

Serena was looking outside the window at the snowstorm. _I really hope Ash will be okay,_ she thought to herself. While she was brushing Pikachu's tail, Bonnie noticed the worried look on Serena's face.

Bonnie placed Pikachu down and got up. "Pika?" Bonnie ran to Clemont, who was reading the latest issue of the PokeScience Magazine. Distracted by Bonnie's tugging at his arm, Clemont looked up from his pamphlet. "What's the matter, Bonnie?"

Bonnie whispered something into Clemont's ear. Clemont seemed to understand and grinned from ear to ear. "The future is now, thanks to science!" Serena, startled by Clemont's sudden outburst, turned her head around and looked at the two blonde siblings.

"What are you making?" Serena questioned Clemont, who was tinkering around with some metal wires and tools.

Clemont put the finishing touches to his new cylindrical device. A familiar white sheen reflected off of his glasses and he looked up at a curious Serena. "Clemontic Gear on! Allow me to demonstrate." Clemont walked out the front door of the Pokemon Center, followed by Serena and Bonnie.

"Brrr…" Clemont shivered. "The Snow-Deflector-Body-Heater is p-p-perfect for c-cold weather like t-t-this!" Clemont flipped the switch on the device. The device immediately formed an orange bubble around Clemont, deflecting the snow that touched the barrier.

"You see," Clemont bragged, "This device prevents snow from entering inside the bubble! As an added bonus, it creates a warm atmosphere inside the sphere too!" Serena and Bonnie both looked at the invention with gleaming eyes.

Bonnie smiled at the success of the device. "That's a lame name, brother!" Clemont sighed at his sister's insult. Bonnie then hinted at Clemont to pass the device to Serena.

Serena was surprised when Clemont handed the device over to her. She looked at Clemont, who was smiling back at her. Then she looked at Bonnie, who looked back at Serena with a suggestive and teasing smile.

"Go after Ash and make sure he's safe," Clemont suggested to Serena. "Bonnie and I will stay behind and watch after our Pokemon. Besides, I don't think Bonnie wants to go…"

Serena nodded her head in understanding. "Thank you, Clemont." Serena noticed that Bonnie was walking towards her with a sly smile.

"Now go after him and make sure he's safe!" Bonnie teased Serena. Serena felt her cheeks turn warmer than the protective orange bubble.

"Be careful!" the two blonde siblings shouted while running back into the cozy interior the the Pokemon Center. Serena calmed herself and turned to look at the looming mountains in the distance. _Don't get yourself into too much trouble, Ash._

Ash and Greninja scaled the mountain faster than a speeding Ninjask. Upon reaching the top of a plateau, Ash and Greninja sat down to take a quick break. Ash looked at the giant Snowbelle City, which looked like a miniature town at that altitude.

"Nin-ja!" Greninja exclaimed, pointing to the sheer rock cliff and the large mountain that was still looming behind them. Ash looked back. _We still have a long way to go…_

Ash took a deep breath. "Well Greninja? Are you ready to go?" Greninja nodded its head in approval. Ash got up and looked at the large mountain in front of him. He closed his eyes and tried to sense the Mega Stone that his earlier vision had told him about.

A huge black plume of smoke and a loud explosion from below the plateau disrupted Ash from his meditation. Ash and Greninja immediately ran back to the cliff of the plateau and looked down. A small mushroom cloud was slowly rising from the explosion.

Ash and Greninja looked at each other and nodded. It was as if they communicated telepathically. "Let's go," Ash said as he began to make his way to the black plume.

Serena was making her way up the mountain with Clemont's device in her right hand. She stopped to take a breath and looked up at the towering rock cliffs in front of her. She felt like she couldn't go any further. _Ash might be in trouble,_ she thought to herself. This motivated her to continue sprinting up the mountain.

Serena had scaled a considerable portion of the mountain when her legs gave way to exhaustion. She kneeled down on the ground, the orange barrier melting the snow beneath her knees. She looked up and saw a flat plateau. _That looks like a safe place to take a break._

As Serena got up to continue her way up the mountain, she felt an electric shock on her right arm. She dropped Clemont's device, which looked red and was releasing puffs of white smoke. _Oh no, not right now._

The device exploded, knocking Serena against a rock face and leaving her unconscious. The explosion created a loud boom and released a huge plume of black smoke. The cold, biting wind continued to howl as snow began to pile on Serena's body.

* * *

I'm pretty sure you guys know what's coming next. Hahaha, it's about to get cheesy! Next time: Chapter 6 - The Warmth of His Heart! For now, toodles!


	6. Chapter 6 - The Warmth of His Heart

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 6 - The Warmth of His Heart**

Back at the Pokemon Center, Clemont was nervously pacing back and forth. _Did I install the capacitor in the correct slot? If not… then maybe… just maybe…_

Bonnie ran over to her brother and tugged on his arm. "What's wrong? You look pale."

Clemont, clenching his fists, looked worriedly down at his sister. "Uhm… Serena might be… in trouble…"

"WHAAAT?" Bonnie exclaimed. She quickly dashed to and pressed her face against the window. She looked back at Pikachu, noticing that it was sound asleep on the couch with Dedenne. "Nurse Joy, could you please care for our Pokemon until we get back?" Nurse Joy nodded.

"We have to go check on her! Quick, Clemont, let's go!" Bonnie then yelled.

Clemont's face was pale with concern. "Wait a second, Bonnie! We need warmer clothing first!" Clemont grabbed Bonnie's hand and hurried over to the nearest clothing store.

Ash slid down an icy slope as Greninja hopped from rock to rock with great agility. _Going down is so much easier than climbing up,_ Ash thought to himself. The two were nearing the source of the smoke.

The blizzard was ferocious and unrelenting. The wind began to blow the smoke plume away, making it less noticeable by the moment. Ash clung onto his hat as he charged full speed towards the explosion. "Quick, Greninja, or we'll lose sight of the smoke!"

Ash slid to a stop, with Greninja landing behind him. He noticed several silver and black shrapnels of metal scattered across the ground. Most of the metal pieces were buried in the snow. _What's the meaning of this?_

Ash looked around desperately to discern any clues he could find. He saw nothing except for rocks and mounds of snow and more snow. "Noivern, I choose you!" Noivern emerged from its Pokeball, shocked by the cold weather. It didn't seem to like the frigid temperature very much.

"I'm sorry, Noivern," Ash apologized sincerely. "I know you don't like the cold, but could you please do me a favor and scout the surrounding area?" Noivern nodded its head and emitted pulses of ultrasonic waves from its ears. It locked on to a particular mound of snow, smaller than the rest.

"Vern-vern!" Noivern cried as it flew directly above the pile of snow.

"Thanks a lot, Noivern!" Ash yelled out against the battering storm. "Return!" Ash recalled Noivern back into its Pokeball.

Ash looked at the mound of snow and then at Greninja. "Greninja, help me out. Use Double Team and Cut to clear the snow."

Greninja cleared the mound with ease as Ash, with frostbitten fingers, dug furiously away at the pile of snow. Ash then felt something soft. "Greninja, help me out!" Ash felt his way around what seemed to be someone's arm, and wrapped his hand around it. _Heave-ho!_

Ash knelt there, startled at his finding. _It's Serena!_ "Serena!" Ash cried out in concern, shaking her back and forth. "Serena! Wake up!" Ash felt Serena's hands. They were ice cold. Ash knew that there was only one thing he could do.

Ash took off his sweater and mittens, wrapping Serena's body with his sweater. He slipped the mittens onto her cold hands. Serena's legs were still exposed to the cold, because her dress only reached a little higher than her knees.

"Greninja! I need you to run back to town to get help! Hurry!" Ash commanded. Greninja understood immediately and swiftly jumped from rock to rock down the mountain.

Ash took off his cap and carefully covered Serena's honey-blonde hair with it. He took off his outer pants and tried his best to cover Serena's legs from the cold with them. Ash stood there in his shorts and tank top. _Ahh-ahhh-ACHOO!_ Ash sniveled and shivered from the cold and rubbed his arms to conserve as much heat as he could.

Ash worked diligently to shape the surrounding snow into an little hut. _This is like that time when I was trapped in a mountain cave with my Pokemon when I first started my journey!_ Ash reminisced about his past and remembered that the smaller a shelter is, the warmer it will be.

Finished with the shelter, Ash huddled close to Serena. He was freezing cold, and he thought his fingers would fall off from shaping the snow bare-handed. He checked on Serena, who was beginning to warm up.

 _Alright,_ Ash thought to himself. _Here goes nothing._ Ash wrapped his arms around Serena's body, tightly embracing her. _She feels so much warmer now._ Ash leaned his head on top of Serena's. Ash chuckled to himself from exhaustion. _Hahaha…_ Ash was cold. Extremely cold. Working in the blizzard to build the snow hut had taken its toll on his body. Still, Ash felt his cheeks burn just a little even though the rest of his body was beginning to stall. Ash's eyelids slowly drooped. With his arms wound snugly around Serena, Ash passed out. Before he fell unconscious, Ash had one final thought. _Guess we'll both be cold, together…_

"Bonnie! Wait for me!" Clemont yelled out, gasping for air. _Man I should really do some cardio,_ Clemont thought to himself.

"Hurry up, you Slowpoke!" Bonnie insulted her brother. Just then, a familiar navy-blue frog hopped towards the two siblings. "Greninja!" Bonnie exclaimed.

Clemont caught up with Bonnie. "Gre-nin-ja-ahhh" Clemont exhaled. Catching his breath, Clemont looked Bonnie in her eyes. "You know what this means." Bonnie nodded her head. "Greninja, please lead the way!" Greninja nodded and walked towards the mountain, with Clemont and Bonnie trailing behind it.

Serena's mind stirred slightly as she slowly regained consciousness and opened her eyes. She was disorientated and looked around, confused about where she was. Then she noticed that two arms were wrapped tightly around her. Serena broke free and looked at the boy who was hugging her. _It's Ash!_

Serena squealed in delight at the thought that Ash was hugging her. She turned a deep shade of red when she saw that Ash's clothes were wrapped around her. "Oh, Ash…" she murmured.

Serena knew what Ash had done. She felt her heart swell when she realized that Ash had sacrificed his own comfort to keep her safe. Serena immediately focused on warming Ash up. "Go, Braixen!" Serena commanded.

Braixen came out of her Pokeball and saw her owner's face of concern. "Please help warm Ash up, Braixen." Serena pleaded. Braixen nodded and pulled out the stick lodged in her tail. A bright ember began to burn at one end, providing warmth inside the cramped little snow hut.

Serena took off Ash's clothing and wrapped them back around Ash. She was determined to return the favor to Ash, after the sacrifice that he had made for her. The bright ember on Braixen's stick began to warm Ash up. It was unforeseen that the ember also began to weaken the walls of the hut.

A strong gust broke a hole through the side of the hut. A bone-chilling wind swept inside the shelter, extinguishing Braixen's flame. Serena cried in surprise at the sudden event. Without thinking, she threw herself on top of Ash to protect him from the cold.

She wrapped her arms tightly around Ash's figure. _I'll never let you go,_ Serena thought to herself as her eyes began to swell with tears. Braixen was taken aback and stunned at her owner's tears. Realizing that Serena would freeze to death at that rate, Braixen let out a piercing howl.

Braixen began to glow blue, and mysterious energies began to surround her. The glowing figure changed in shape and stature. "Braixen…" Serena looked on in astonishment.

A bright light flashed outwards from the glowing figure. As Serena opened her eyes and squinted to look at the glowing figure, she saw a taller, bigger version of her former partner.

"Delphox!" Serena exclaimed. Realizing her partner's new-found power, Serena stood up and wiped away her tears. "Delphox, use Psychic!" Delphox glowed a light purple as a protective bubble began to form around Serena, Ash, and herself. In an instant, the snow stopped pelting the three friends.

Delphox looked up at the grey skies. She knew that beyond those stormy clouds was the bright, warm sun. She could just sense it. Wishing for her owner's safety, Delphox cried out while looking up at the sky. Suddenly, the raging blizzard was reduced to little drifting puffs and then to nothing. Soon, the clouds overhead cleared and the sun shone out.

 _Sunny Day. Delphox learned how to use Sunny Day!_ Serena realized. "Great job, Delphox! You saved us!" Delphox smiled at the praise from her owner.

Serena loosened her cling on Ash. "Delphox, would you please?" Serena asked. Delphox nodded and ignited the tip of her torch with her pyro-psychic powers. She passed the torch onto Serena, who held the torch next to Ash to warm him up.

As Ash warmed up, Serena contemplated to herself. _Wow Ash. You really saved me, at the risk of your own life! I can never repay you or thank you enough…_ Serena then looked at Ash's face, which seemed to be warming up and breathing normally. _After feeling the warmth of his heart, I think… I think I can safely say it now..._

Serena took a deep breath. Holding Ash with one arm and the torch with the other, she looked at his closed eyes with her blue, sparkling eyes. " _I love you, Ash…_ " Serena whispered.

* * *

I had lots of fun writing this portion. Kind of cliche with the snow and everything, but it still did the trick. I'm pretty happy with how the story is turning out. I absolutely adore the Ash and Serena ship. #SatoSere all the way! Next time: Chapter 7 - A Quest for Two Lovers! Stay tuned. Toodles!


	7. Chapter 7 - A Quest for Two Lovers

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 7 - A Quest for Two Lovers**

Ash's mind stirred as he came to his senses. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Serena embracing him with one arm and holding a torch in the other. Serena noticed Ash waking up. Turning a deep shade of red, Serena stuttered, "D-d-did you hear anything?"

Ash, slowly regaining his senses, rubbed the back of his head. "No, I didn't hear anything. I was out cold." Serena sighed with relief. _Thank goodness._

Ash noticed that his clothes were wrapped around his body. "Serena, did you do this?"

Serena blushed and looked to the side, then back at Ash. "Yeah… I-I was just returning the favor, that's all."

Serena helped Ash up on his feet. Ash's eyes immediately lit up. Serena thought Ash was excited to see that she was fine, but Ash ran right past her and towards Delphox. "Wow, did your Braixen evolve?"

Disappointed that she wasn't Ash's center of attention, Serena pouted. "Yeah… it evolved during the storm when I was on top-" She blushed and stopped herself from saying too much again.

Ash's eyes were glittering from excitement. "Wow, that's so amazing!" Ash then looked around for Greninja. "I wonder if Greninja alerted the others yet."

Bonnie, Clemont, and Greninja made their way up the snow-capped Snowbelle mountain. All of a sudden, the blizzard cleared and sunlight poured out from between the clouds. "That's odd," Clemont proclaimed.

Bonnie ran ahead of the group, shouting and hopping. "Look, it's Ash and Serena! And… Braixen? No, it's a bigger Braixen!" Clemont and Greninja followed behind.

Serena had noticed Bonnie and the others. "Ash! They're here!" Ash turned his attention from Serena's Delphox to Bonnie, Clemont, and Greninja.

Bonnie held Delphox's hands. "It's sooo cute!" Clemont caught his breath and looked at Delphox as well. "Congratulations, Serena. Looks like your Braixen finally evolved," Clemont added.

Serena smiled at her friends. Then she glared at Clemont, placing her hands on her hips. "Thanks very much for your glorious invention." Clemont turned a shade of blue and looked down at the ground. "Sorry! I'm so very sorry! Extremely sorry!" Clemont apologized profusely.

Serena smiled back at Clemont. "It's okay. As long as no one was hurt, that's all that matters!" Then she thought to herself, _without your device, Ash never would have done what he did…_ Serena blushed at the thought of Ash hugging her tightly.

Bonnie noticed Serena's blush and walked next to her, nudging Serena's side with her elbow. "So, you wanna tell me what happened?" Bonnie teasingly whispered.

Serena immediately perked up and turned even redder than before. "Bonnie!" she cried. Bonnie giggled and ran circles around Serena.

Clemont adjusted his glasses. "Well, it's good to see that no one was hurt. I guess we came up here for no reason; you two handled it on your own!"

Serena was about to say something, but decided to just smile back at Clemont instead. Ash spoke up. "Well, Serena and I saved each other. We're a pretty good team." Ash blushed a little bit. "Where's Pikachu?"

Bonnie, still running circles around Serena, playfully replied, "Pikachu is asleep with Dedenne back at the Pokemon Center." Ash sighed with relief and then tensed up again.

He clenched his fist determinedly and looked at Greninja. "Well, buddy, are you ready to resume our mission?" Greninja looked Ash back in the eyes. "Greninja!"

Bonnie stopped running around Serena and held onto Clemont's hand. "Clemont, I think we should go back down to the Pokemon Center. Ash and Serena can handle it on their own. Besides, you wouldn't want to scale that mountain, would you?"

Clemont looked up at the towering precipice. "Hahaha… no thanks. I guess you're right, Bonnie. Let's head back. Ash and Serena, you two take care." As the two siblings made their way down the mountain, Bonnie turned around and winked at Serena.

Serena sighed, knowing fully well what Bonnie had done. _That little rascal,_ she thought to herself. She turned to her Pokemon companion, but Delphox was already chattering away with Greninja. The ninja frog and fire fox seemed to enjoy each other's company.

Serena then looked at Ash, blushing a little bit from staring directly at him. "Well, Ash, do you want to go alone? After all, this is a quest between you and your Greninja." Serena shuffled her feet back and forth.

 _I shouldn't bother him anymore. I probably slowed him down by coming along,_ Serena thought to herself. "Delphox!" She called out. Delphox, smiling at Greninja, looked back at Serena's call.

Ash adjusted his cap and then looked back at Serena. "I want you to come along with me." Serena's face turned a light tinge of pink, surprised at Ash's invitation.

Ash rubbed his nose with his index finger. "I realized something, Serena. Even if this might be a quest to develop the bond between me and my Pokemon, I never would have gotten this far without your help."

Serena placed both of her hands over her heart, swelling with joy. She looked at Ash, noticing a slight blush on his cheeks.

Ash's face burned with determination. "Serena, let's go. We'll find the Greninjite together. That way, my first Mega Stone will be something special. Special because… well… because you helped me find it."

Serena cheerfully nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah!" she exclaimed with bliss. Greninja, already walking along with Delphox, didn't seem to mind Serena's tagging along.

Ash turned his cap backwards. "Alright, team. Onwards!"

* * *

#BonnieKnows... Bonnie is the best wing woman, hands down. She's portrayed so many hints in the anime that she knew what was going on that I've decided to give her the role of a wing woman and a supporting character in my future chapters. Too bad Clemont and Ash are still both oblivious bricks... Due to popular demand, I also tried to incorporate some hints at Greninja x Delphox in here. Sorry if they seem unnatural; it's just that I've never actually heard about this ship until some of you guys asked for me to include it. Let me know how I did. Next time: Chapter 8 - For Old Times' Sake! Toodles!


	8. Chapter 8 - For Old Times' Sake!

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 8 - For Old Times' Sake!**

Ash and Serena reached the summit of the mountain. At the very peak of the mountain, a stone tablet with ancient engravings protruded from the surrounding rock.

"What now?" groaned Ash, tired from the climb. Serena and Greninja examined the stone tablet. Serena laid her eyes on Ash's bracelet, then at a hollowed out circular dent on the tablet.

Serena grabbed Ash's hand. "I think you place your keystone onto that slot," Serena suggested. Ash, surprised at Serena's sudden motion, turned pink.

"R-right!" Ash replied, facing the stone tablet. Ash dislodged the keystone from his bracelet and placed it into the dent in the tablet. As if on cue, the keystone began glowing white as the tablet's ancient carvings shone a bright white. The rocks began shifting around. The ground behind the stone tablet opened up and revealed a rising pillar with a dark blue gem perched on top of it.

When everything stopped, Ash's keystone and the dark blue gem were next to one another, emanating a blue glow. Ash, mesmerized by the blue gem, picked it up with both hands. In the center of the gem was an intricate pattern that resembled the one within his keystone. Greninja seemed to take a particular liking to the rock.

Serena took a step towards Ash and laid her hand on his shoulder. "I think this is it, Ash. I think you've found the Greninjite!"

Ash, still stunned by his discovery, reattached the keystone back to his bracelet. The gem was too big to fit into Greninja's bracelet. "I think we might need to have the stone carved for it to fit onto Greninja's bracelet." Ash observed. Serena nodded her head in agreement.

"Noivern, I choose you!" Ash commanded. Noivern emerged from its pokeball.

"Vern-vern!" Noivern cried. Ash ran towards Noivern with Greninja and Serena. "Noivern, could you give us a lift back to Snowbelle City?"

Noivern graciously nodded yes, happy to help Ash in any way. Ash turned to Greninja. "Sorry Greninja, but I think Noivern can't carry three people. I'm going to need you to go back into your Pokeball."

Greninja understandingly obeyed. Noivern perched onto the rocky summit of the mountain. "Alright, Serena. You first." Ash suggested.

Serena blushed at Ash's polite gesture. "Oh, thank you, Ash!" Serena climbed onto Noivern's back. Ash climbed on right after, holding Serena around the waist.

Serena turned a shade of deep red from being held around the waist. As Noivern prepared to take flight, Ash yelled out, "Hold on tight to Noivern, Serena!" Serena snapped out of her dreamy state and held onto Noivern's neck.

"Noivern!" Noivern cried out as it took off and glided downwards to the snow-covered city.

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu cried out upon seeing Ash, Noivern, and Serena glide to a halt in front of the Pokemon Center. Alerted by Pikachu, Bonnie and Clemont ran outside to greet their friends.

Bonnie, noticing Ash's hand around Serena's waist, and a very red Serena, slyly grinned.

"How was the mission?" Clemont interrogated. Ash grinned from ear to ear and pulled out his dark blue gem. "Ta-da!" Ash revealed.

The group of friends gathered around Ash, mesmerized by the beautiful blue rock. "It's too big to fit Greninja's bracelet. Do you happen to know any stone carvers around here?" Ash asked Clemont.

"As a matter of fact, I do!" a familiar voice interjected. Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie all looked at the direction that the voice came from. A girl with dark-blue hair, a dark-pink scarf, a black and pink dress, and light pink boots emerged from the shaded cover of trees. A tiny blue penguin waddled next to her.

"Dawn! Piplup!" Ash exclaimed. Clemont looked confused to see a total stranger approaching them. Serena looked horrified as Dawn and Ash approached each other. Bonnie was focused on Serena, noticing her panic.

Ash and Dawn exchanged hugs, a gesture of affection as old friends. Serena shrieked and gasped to herself as she saw Ash, _her Ash,_ hug and embrace another girl.

Ash seemed happy to see his old friend. "How have you been?" Ash interrogated.

"I've been well, doing my Top-Coordinator stuff as always!" Dawn giggled. "And what about you, Ash?"

"I've been traveling through the Kalos region to hopefully win the Kalos League!" Ash excitedly announced. "I've been traveling with my new friends. This is Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena. Guys, this is Dawn and Piplup."

"Pi-piplup!" Piplup boastfully puffed up its chest. Pikachu ran over to greet Piplup. Dawn smiled as she waved hello to Ash's new friends. "Wow, is that a Noivern? It looks so powerful!"

"Yup, that's my Noivern." Ash beamed with pride. "I raised it from an egg to a powerful Noivern!"

Dawn glowed with radiance. "That's impressive, Ash! You never cease to amaze me."

Dawn and Ash chattered on, catching up with each other after years of traveling apart. Clemont was preoccupied by Dawn's Piplup, which had launched a Whirlpool attack at Clemont's newest invention. Serena sat at a distance, glaring at Dawn. Bonnie carefully approached Serena.

Bonnie pretended to put on a persona of Ash. "Never give up until the end!" she exclaimed. Serena was jolted out of her anger by surprise. "Bonnie! What are you doing?"

After some time, the five friends finally conjoined with each other. "Alright, Ash" Dawn spoke up. "Let's get you to the stone carver." Dawn led the group to the far end of the city, into a cozy looking abode.

"Hello, Mr. Fuji!" Dawn exclaimed as she led the group inside the building. An old man, partially bald, made his way out from his room. "Oh, hello Dawn!" Mr. Fuji replied.

Ash looked confused at the sight of Mr. Fuji. "I didn't know you moved to the Kalos region."

Mr. Fuji laughed as Ash boldly stated that he had moved. "You must be confusing me with my brother who lives in Lavender Town in the Kanto region." Mr. Fuji inferred.

Mr. Fuji then cleared his throat. "I assume that you have brought your friends here because one of them needs help carving a stone?" Mr. Fuji addressed Dawn.

Dawn smiled back. "Yup! Ash, why don't you show Mr. Fuji your Greninjite?"

Ash nodded and brought out the dark blue gem, while releasing Greninja from its Pokeball. "Fascinating…" Mr. Fuji remarked. "I didn't know that Greninja could Mega Evolve. Ash, let me see your keystone bracelet as well as Greninja's."

Ash handed over the bracelets to Mr. Fuji. "Give me a few minutes, youngsters. Please excuse me." Mr Fuji made his way back into his room.

"So, Ash, how many badges have you collected?" Dawn interrogated. Ash pulled out his badge case and flashed it to Dawn. "Seven. I'm going to battle the Snowbelle City Gym Leader and win my 8th badge when my Greninja can Mega Evolve!"

"Can I come and watch?" Dawn requested. Upon hearing Dawn's request, Serena whispered to herself. _Oh bummer._ To Serena's dismay, Ash nodded his head yes.

After some time, Mr. Fuji came out from his room. "Thanks for waiting, your Greninjite is now ready to go." Mr. Fuji handed a bracelet with a fitted chiseled dark-blue gem to Ash, as well as his bracelet and keystone.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Fuji!" Ask exclaimed, excitedly wearing his bracelet and attaching Greninja's to its right hand. "Well, let's go try it out! Thanks again, Mr. Fuji!" Ash stormed out of the tiny abode, followed by Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont.

"I have to apologize for my friend's rudeness," Dawn sighed. "He gets like that when he acquires something new."

Mr. Fuji smiled at the youngster's words. "No worries. I know how exciting it is to have your first Mega Stone. My brother in Kanto told me a story of a boy who once bested a Mewtwo with his Mega-Evolved Charizard…"

Dawn was astonished and shocked at hearing Mr. Fuji's story. "Wow… a Mewtwo?" she commented with disbelief. "Amazing…"

"Hurry along now," Mr. Fuji suggested. "Your friends are running along quickly to who knows where now. Go catch up with them!"

Dawn nodded and headed outside the abode. "Goodbye, Mr. Fuji!" Dawn exclaimed as she made her way after Ash and his friends.

* * *

A wild Mr. Fuji appeared! If you haven't picked up the hints already, there are some references to Pokemon Origins in here with Red and his Mega Charizard. That aside, Dawn is back! I might consider bringing Dawn's Buneary back into the picture because of her immense crush on Ash's Pikachu. Anyways, what will Dawn do? Will Dawn snatch Ash's heart away from Serena? Will Dawn be a Ms. Steal-Yo-Man? Next time: Chapter 9 - A New Friendship! Toodles!


	9. Chapter 9 - A New Friendship

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 9 - A New Friendship**

Ash stood in front of the elegant Snowbelle Gym. The columns were gold-colored and the windowpanes looked like tiny sheets of ice. With Pikachu perched on his shoulder, Ash took a deep breath. "Alright, here we go."

"Wait for us!" Serena, Bonnie, and a struggling Clemont came running towards the Snowbelle Gym. Dawn and Piplup trailed behind the three friends. "And us too!" Dawn exclaimed.

Ash smiled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Thanks for coming to support us, guys." Serena, Bonnie, Clemont, and Dawn all cheerfully smiled back at Ash.

"No problem! I'll be here to cheer you on all the way!" Dawn declared. With her arms crossed, Serena glared at Dawn from the corner of her eyes.

The five friends made their way into the grand building. Inside, they all gasped in amazement at the variety of different colored ice that constituted the floor and plastered the wall. Well, all of them except Ash. He had only one thought in mind.

"Can I have a battle with the Gym leader, please?" Ash blurted out. Pikachu, with a fierce determination in his eyes, chimed in. "Pika-chu!"

A butler stepped out from a nearby hallway and confronted the excited challenger. "I'm sorry, but the Gym leader, Wulfric, is not here at the moment. He made his way into the Snowbelle Forest a couple hours ago." In an instant, Ash, who was all psyched up, stooped over and groaned.

"Aw man… and I was looking forward to this match so much!" Ash complained. "Well, guess we'll just have to wait until he comes back." Ash's stomach growled like a provoked Mightyena. "Hahaha…" Ash snickered, turning red from embarrassment.

Clemont chuckled at Ash. "I guess I could fix us something to eat while we wait for-" Clemont was cut off by the Butler. "There's no need for that," the Butler stated. "Please, follow me."

The five friends looked at each other and nodded their heads in agreement. They followed the Butler back into the hallway. A plethora of ice sculptures lined both sides of the hallway, each sculpture carved to represent a different Pokemon.

"Wow! Look at that Snorunt! And that Glaceon! And this Spheal! It's sooo cute!" Bonnie dashed from sculpture to sculpture, her eyes glittering from amazement. Ash feasted his eyes on the sculptures of Beartic, Abomasnow, Walrein, Articuno, and other powerful ice-type Pokemon. _I wonder what kind of Pokemon I'll be battling,_ Ash eagerly thought to himself.

As the five friends followed the Butler, Dawn pointed to a sculpture of a Mamoswine. "Ash, look! It's a Mamoswine!" Ash quickly glanced over and focused his attention on the sculpture that Dawn was pointing her finger at.

"You're right," Ash replied. "Say, Dawn, don't you have a Mamoswine, too?" Dawn nodded her head approvingly.

Ash grinned and faced Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie. "Remember that time when we had to rent Mamoswine to cross the mountains?"

Bonnie's eyes immediately lit up. "Yes! They were so adorable and fluffy! My favorite part was when we were crossing the shaky bridge and Clemont was freaking out!"

Clemont turned red from embarrassment. "Bonnie! You don't have to tell that to everyone!" The four friends giggled at Clemont, who turned a deeper shade of red.

"Yeah, that was a fun experience!" Serena added. "We did run into some trouble with the icy slopes, though. And who can forget the shaky bridge?" Serena continued to reminisce about her experience with the Mamoswine. _I was sitting with Ash, and he gave me encouragement, too!_ Serena smiled as she thought to herself.

"Those slopes were a breeze with Serena's help!" Ash praised Serena. "Her Rhyhorn-racing skills really got us out of trouble that day!" Pleased with Ash's compliments, Serena blushed.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. We're here." the Butler announced. Pushing open two large oak doors, the Butler revealed an enormous buffet complemented by a large skating rink in the center of the room. "I apologize again for any inconveniences that Wulfric's absence may have caused you. As reparation, please enjoy yourselves while you wait for his return. I will inform you once Wulfric has returned." The Butler bowed to the friends and withdrew from the room, shutting the doors behind him.

The five friends seemed pleased with the Butler's hospitality. Although Ash's brain was interested in the skating rink, his stomach was entirely absorbed by the seemingly endless platters of steaming food. Bonnie dragged an unwilling Clemont onto the skating rink with her, while Serena and Dawn each took a seat at the table next to the icy arena.

Dawn smiled at Serena, who seemed neither fond nor comfortable with sitting at the table. "I don't think I've properly introduced myself to you yet," Dawn confessed. "I'm Dawn, and this is my partner Piplup-" Dawn looked around for Piplup, who was spotted with Pikachu, Bonnie, and Clemont inside the skating rink. Clemont was slipping and sliding all over the place.

Dawn looked back and grinned at Serena. "Sorry about that…anyways, I'm Dawn!" Serena had mixed feelings about Dawn, emotions that were fueled primarily by her jealousy and uncertainty towards Dawn's involvement in Ash's past. This unnerved Serena. "Uhh… uhm… h-hi… I-I'm Serena," Serena stuttered. Dawn's expression changed from giddy to curious and concerned.

"Are you feeling alright?" Dawn asked, leaning toward Serena in concern. Serena looked away, but she could feel Dawn staring directly at her. "Y-yeah… I'm perfectly fine," Serena replied.

Dawn eased up and returned to her normal composure. "You're one weird girl, Serena, you know that?" Serena's face paled at Dawn's words. _Weird? What does she mean? How am I weird?_

The moment Serena turned and faced Dawn, Dawn asked, "So, what do you think of Ash?" Serena, shocked by this sudden question, turned slightly pink. "Well… Ash? I, uhm, I-I think he's a very optimistic person, a-and I think he is very inspirational and makes for a good role model!" Serena slurred her words, obviously flustered by Dawn's question.

Dawn smirked and leaned in next to Serena's ear and whispered, "No, not that. I meant what do you think of Ash _romantically?_ " Serena suddenly sat up and blushed immensely. "Wh-what do you mean?" Serena yelped.

Dawn leaned back against the table, sighing and crossing her arms. "Don't play dumb with me, Serena. You make it _way_ too obvious that you have a thing for Ash." Dawn winked at Serena as she teased her, and Serena felt her cheeks flush from Dawn's light hearted remarks.

Serena realized that there was no point in hiding her feelings from Dawn any longer. Instead, she confronted Dawn about the issue. "I-I do? How did you find out when I didn't talk to you at all?"

"You made it quite obvious since the moment we met. Everything about you told me you had feelings for him: your body language, the way you talk to him, the way you smile at him, and not to mention how frequently you blush around him," Dawn admitted.

"Do you think he knows that I like him?" Serena stammered, her voice full of worry. Dawn smiled to reassure Serena that this was a secret between the two of them.

"Of course not. Ash is as oblivious as a brick. He wouldn't know love even if a Milotic used Attract on him!" Serena and Dawn both chuckled at Ash's apparent blindness to Serena's feelings. Serena began to feel more comfortable around Dawn. But deep inside, Serena had a new concern. _If he really is that oblivious, will he ever reciprocate feelings to me?_ Serena thought to herself.

"Serena? Serenaaa?" Dawn snapped Serena out of her trance. "Oh, sorry." Serena apologized. "I was thinking about something." Dawn felt like she had a hunch about what caused Serena to become distracted.

"Don't worry about it, Serena." Dawn reassured her new female friend. "I'm not going to steal him away from you!" Serena had totally forgotten about her ill-feelings for Dawn! "Wha-I, I never even thought that you would, I promise!" Serena fabricated. Dawn seemed to know what was up.

"You're a bad liar, Serena." Serena gulped. She felt guilty that she had been caught. "I'm sorry, Dawn… it's just that…" Serena's face turned red from embarrassment. "It's just that I was jealous when I thought you and Ash had something for each other!"

Dawn smiled at Serena's confession. She felt like her bond with Serena was getting stronger and stronger by the second. "Don't worry about it Serena, I'm not here to slow you down. In fact, I'm here to root for you!" Serena's complexion changed. She looked more at ease with Dawn, and she felt like she could trust her new friend.

"Thanks, Dawn… I can see why Ash traveled with you now. You're such a supportive and kind person." Serena grinned at Dawn.

Dawn reciprocated the smile. Content with their new friendship, Serena and Dawn made their way towards the buffet. Waiting there was endless plates of delicious food and, of course, Ash.

* * *

Dawn's back, but worry not my fellow Amourshippers. She isn't going to threaten the #SatoSere ship. Instead, she might just help give the two a little nudge in the right direction! Ash will face off against Wulfric soon! Next time: Chapter 10 - A Chilling Battle! Toodles!


	10. Chapter 10 - A Chilling Battle!

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 10 - A Chilling Battle!**

Ash, Dawn, and Serena had all eaten to their hearts' content. Clemont, Bonnie, Pikachu, and Piplup were all skated out. All five friends and the two Pokemon were exhausted. They all trudged to and regrouped at one table.

Clemont, drained from being forced to skate with Bonnie, mumbled, "What do we do now?" Ash, Serena, Dawn, and Bonnie all groaned along with Clemont. "I don't know," they all said in sync.

Suddenly, two loud knocks came from the oak door. The Butler entered and announced that Wulfric, the Gym Leader, had returned from the Snowbelle Forest.

Ash had been sluggish ever since his feast, but upon hearing the Butler's announcement, he became fired up in an instant. His best friend, Pikachu, was also enthusiastic about the news. "Alright! Finally! Let's go!" The Butler nodded and signaled for Ash to follow him. Ash's friends all whined at having to relocate.

The Butler led the five friends to an enormous battlefield. At the far end of the field stood a large man. He was rotund with long, flowing white hair and a shaggy beard, and he had a sky-blue coat draped around his neck like a cape. He was standing there with his eyes closed, deep in meditation.

Ash and Pikachu ran to their spot on the battlefield. "Hi! My name is Ash Ketchum, and I'm from Pallet Town! This is my partner, Pikachu!" Electricity arced from the little mouse's red cheeks into the air. "Pika-pika!"

The enormous man opened his eyes and eyed Ash and Pikachu, sizing up his opponent. "The name's Wulfric. As you probably have guessed by now, I am the Gym Leader of the Snowbelle Gym. I specialize in ice-types. My Pokemon are as tough as icebergs but as hot as furnaces. I take it that you're a challenger?"

Ash and Pikachu determinedly nodded their heads. The Butler walked to the right center of the battlefield and proclaimed, "I will be the referee for this battle." Serena, Dawn, Piplup, Bonnie, and Clemont scurried up the stairs and took their seats at the spectator stands.

Dawn pulled out several pairs of pom-poms as her Buneary made her way out of her Pokeball. Wearing its little orange vest with a pink heart in the middle, Buneary hopped onto the handrails with Piplup and cheered on Ash and Pikachu. "Here you go," Dawn said as she handed Buneary and Piplup miniature pom-poms. Bonnie's eyes lit up as she squealed at Dawn's Buneary. "Sooo cute!"

Serena looked at Dawn thought to herself, _and you think I'm weird?_ Dawn looked over at Serena and smiled. "Do you want a pair, too?" Serena nodded her head no at Dawn's offer.

"This will be a three on three battle," the Butler continued. "Only the challenger may make substitutions. The victor will be the side whose Pokemon are still able to battle."

A tense and uneasy atmosphere filled the room as Wulfric and Ash stared at each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Like a glacier carving into a mountain, Wulfric slowly but surely roared, "Avalugg, prepare for battle!" The beam of white light from Wulfric's Pokeball took the shape of an iceberg, except that it had several ridges on an otherwise smooth topside, four legs, and a face.

Ash eyed Pikachu. "Pika!" the little electric mouse exclaimed with a fiery spirit. "Alright Pikachu, I choose you!" Pikachu dashed onto the battlefield as Buneary cheered him on from the stands. Ash looked at Wulfric's Pokemon, noting that it was an ice-type. _Alright. Since it's an ice-type, steel-type moves like Iron Tail should be super-effective against it._

"Go ahead, make the first move." Wulfric taunted Ash. "Okay, we will!" Ash responded. "Pikachu, get in close to Avalugg with Quick Attack!" Pikachu began to move with great agility, blinking left and right as he approached the giant iceberg Pokemon. Once Pikachu was close to Avalugg, Ash commanded, "Use Iron Tail!"

"Avalugg, use Curse!" Wulfric quickly responded. A mysterious light surrounded Avalugg as its defense and attack stats increased, unbeknownst to Ash. Pikachu's tail glowed a bright-white as he leapt high into the air. "Pika!" the yellow mouse yelled as he landed a direct hit onto Avalugg's back.

"Alright, a direct hit!" Ash exclaimed. However, Avalugg seemed completely unfazed by the super-effective attack. "What?" Ash cried out in disbelief. Wulfric slightly smirked at the sight of Ash losing his composure.

"What happened?" Serena fretted, clearly concerned for Ash. Adjusting his glasses, Clemont replied, "You see, Avalugg is a physical-defense heavy and slow Pokemon. Because of its natural bulk, Curse is the perfect move as it cuts Avalugg's speed in return for an increased defense and attack." Serena looked on at Ash, hoping for the best.

"Avalugg, use Avalanche!" Wulfric commanded. Avalugg charged at Pikachu as icy particles began to swirl around it. "Dodge it!" Ash yelled, taking advantage of Avalugg's sluggish nature. Taking a sharp turn, Pikachu averted Avalugg's assault as the Iceberg Pokemon continued to run in a straight line.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Sparks flew out of Pikachu's body as he charged for the devastating electric-type move. Clemont commented on Ash's change in strategy. "Smart move. Although Avalugg is physically defensive, its special defense is lacking." Buneary, awed by Pikachu's strength as always, cheered loudly for her special friend. "Bun-bun!"

Pikachu released the electrical discharge, sending a current of yellow electricity directly at Avalugg. "Lugg!" Avalugg cried out. However, Wulfric took no time worrying and remained tenacious. "Avalugg, retaliate with Icy Wind!"

A stream of frosty air emanated from Avalugg's body and struck a direct hit on Ash's Pikachu. Pikachu braced himself for the attack by grounding himself on all four paws, but this left him frozen to the ground. Pikachu couldn't move!

"Avalugg, use Gyro Ball!" Wulfric exclaimed. Clemont's faced turned pale. "Oh no, Gyro Ball is an attack that deals increasing damage the slower the user is!" Avalugg began spinning until it became a bright-blue ball steadily inching towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out as his best friend was knocked high into the air by the devastating blow. Pikachu struggled to regain his footing, falling back down several times before finally getting up. "You alright, buddy?" Ash questioned. Pikachu nodded his head. "Alright. Let's wrap this up. Pikachu, get in close with Quick Attack!"

Wulfric disapprovingly nodded his head. "Do you think the same attack will work twice?" Ash smiled back at Wulfric. "You'll see," Ash challenged.

Once Pikachu was in front of the massive iceberg Pokemon, Ash yelled out, "Now! Iron Tail!" _Hah, so he hasn't learned from the first time,_ Wulfric thought to himself.

Pikachu leapt high into the air as his tail became coated with a white light. "Avalugg, use Curse!" Wulfric commanded. Ash smiled to himself. _Just what I was expecting._ "Now, Pikachu, use Electro-Ball!" A glowing yellow ball of electricity began to form at the end of Pikachu's tail. "Pika-pika-pika-pika!" Pikachu chanted as he charged his attack.

"Chuuu!" Pikachu sent the electric ball hurtling towards Avalugg. Still using Curse and unable to evade the attack, Avalugg was struck by the attack head on. A cloud of dust formed around Avalugg as Pikachu rebounded high into the air, landing in front of Ash.

Both Wulfric and Ash were silent as they waited for the dust to settle. "Avalugg is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!" the Butler announced. Ash ran towards Pikachu and embraced his friend in his arms. "We did it buddy! Hooray!" Wulfric smiled to himself as he recalled Avalugg. "Return! You did great Avalugg, thank you."

"I have to hand it to you, you got me good there, Ash." Wulfric complimented the challenger. "Ash replied, "Thanks! You were amazing, too." Serena, Dawn, and Bonnie seemed confused at what had happened. "Didn't you say that Avalugg is super defensive, Clemont?" Serena inquired.

"Well, you see, Electro Ball is also a special move, just like Thunderbolt. Furthermore, the slower the target is, the more damage the move deals!" Clemont observed. Serena shook her head in understanding as she looked at Ash. _Wow Ash, you never cease to amaze me with your battling skills._

"Buneary!" the fluffy rabbit Pokemon cried out as it hopped high into the air and landed next to Ash. "Bun-bun!" Ash saw Buneary's gestures and let Pikachu down onto the ground. "Pika-pi…" Pikachu nervously muttered as he scratched his head. Buneary was all over Pikachu, her eyes stamped with hearts. "Chaaaa…" Pikachu squealed at Buneary's display of affection.

Ash turned to face Wulfric. "Well, are you ready to continue?" Wulfric asked. "Of course. Let's go!" Ash challenged back, with a heated determination on his face.

* * *

So I decided to bring Buneary back because I absolutely adore Lagomorphshipping (Pikachu and Buneary) 3 The heated (or chilly) battle will continue with tomorrow's chapter. Next time: Chapter 11 - A Mega Showdown! Toodles!


	11. Chapter 11 - A Mega Showdown!

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 11 - A Mega Showdown!**

Ash and Wulfric had a brief standoff before Wulfric drew his second Pokeball. "Cryogonal, prepare for battle!" Wulfric roared. A snowflake-shaped Pokemon emerged from the Pokeball. Ash glanced at Pikachu. "Can you continue, buddy?" Sparks flew out from Pikachu's cheeks. "Pika pika!" he exclaimed, standing by for battle.

Wulfric knew that Pikachu was still tired from his last match. "Cryogonal, use Ice Beam!" Wulfric commanded, taking advantage of Pikachu's exhaustion. "Counter it with Thunderbolt!" Ash retaliated. The two attacks forcefully collided, creating a large explosion in the center of the battlefield.

"Now, Pikachu, Thunderbolt, one more time!" Ash yelled, wanting to end the match as quickly as possible. The attack flew directly at Cryogonal, but Wulfric knew perfectly how to counter the attack. "Cryogonal, use Light Screen!" Wulfric retorted. A transparent barrier formed in front of Cryogonal, nullifying Pikachu's attack.

"Ash!" Wulfric shouted, advising the challenger of his mistake. "Cryogonal is unlike Avalugg. While Avalugg was slow and physically defensive, Cryogonal is considerably faster and specially defensive." Ash considered the gym leader's advice. _If Cryogonal is specially defensive, then that must mean its physical defensive is moderate at best!_

"Okay, try sizing this attack!" Ash challenged Wulfric. "Iron Tail, Pikachu!" Pikachu's tail began to glow white as he hopped high into the air. _There's my opportunity,_ Wulfric thought. "Now, Cryogonal! Ice Beam!" The snowflake Pokemon released a dazzling blue beam directly at Pikachu, who was defenseless in midair. "Pika!..." the yellow mouse cried out in pain.

"Pikachu is unable to battle. Cryogonal wins!" the Butler announced as Ash scrambled onto the battlefield, picking Pikachu up. "You did great buddy," Ash comforted his partner.

"Chuuu…" Pikachu replied, closing his eyes from fatigue. "Take a good rest, buddy. I'll handle this from here." Ash carried Pikachu over to Bonnie. "Would you please take care of Pikachu for me?" Ash inquired. Buneary hopped over, concerned for her friend. Bonnie smiled at Ash and Buneary. "You can count on us!" she gleefully responded.

Ash made his way back to the battlefield. _Hehehe… I know just the Pokemon to beat that Cryogonal,_ he thought to himself. "Alright Talonflame, I choose you!" The fierce-looking bird Pokemon flew out from its Pokeball with a fiery entrance. "Tal-on!" it screeched.

 _I'll match speed with speed,_ Ash thought. "Talonflame, let's start things off with a Flame Charge!" Talonflame became engulfed in a coating of fire as it ascended and dove straight at Cryogonal.

"I don't think so!" Wulfric boomed. "Cryogonal, use Flash Cannon!" The snowflake Pokemon unleashed a dazzling, silver beam directly at Talonflame. However, Talonflame took a nosedive and dodged the attack. It then flew parallel to the ground, heading straight for Cryogonal.

Cryogonal's shiny body became scorched by Talonflame's fierce attack. Talonflame took a sharp turn back to Ash following its reckless assault. "Impressive power," Wulfric remarked. Ash, lost in the heat of battle, taunted Wulfric. "We're only warming up!"

"Talonflame, follow up with Steel Wing!" Obeying Ash's order, Talonflame began to accelerate towards Cryogonal while rotating its body. As its wings began to be covered by a white light, Talonflame picked up its velocity.

"Confuse Ray!" Wulfric exclaimed moments before Talonflame's attack made contact with his Pokemon. Cryogonal emitted an ominous ray from its body, striking the bird Pokemon at point blank. In an instant, Talonflame stopped its attack and began to charge at Ash.

"Talonflame, no!" Ash cried out. Ash ducked, narrowly evading Talonflame's advance. Talonflame continued flying, smashing straight into the wall of the battle room.

Wulfric wasted no time in his combo attack. "Now, Ice Beam!" Cryogonal unleashed a bright blue beam directly at Talonflame, who was still confused and lodged in the wall of the building. Ice began to cover the bird Pokemon until it was completely encased in a solid crystal.

Ash looked down on the ground and bit his lip. _What am I going to do now? I'm always powerless in these situations. Just like what happened at the Santalune Gym…_ Ash's thoughts were interrupted by Serena's shouts.

"Ash, remember your training!" Serena called out, encouraging Ash. Ash glanced up at Serena and noticed the worried complexion across her face. _She's right. I can't panic in these kinds of situations. I have to remember my training!_ Ash's face lit up. "Thanks, Serena!" Ash called back.

It was as if Ash's passion for the battle was rekindled. He tipped his cap forward, slyly smirking at Wulfric. Talonflame sensed its trainer's heart. Burning with a fiery passion, Talonflame's body began glowing red and the ice encapsulating the bird Pokemon began to melt and crack.

"That's Talonflame's ability, Flame Body," Clemont observed. "It may be the driving force behind the melting of the ice." Serena, Dawn, and Bonnie nodded their heads to Clemont and then looked onto the battle in amazement.

"Talonflame, I know you can hear me!" Ash yelled at the top of his lungs. Snapping out of confusion, Talonflame burst out of the ice crystal. "Tal! Tal-on!" the bird Pokemon squawked. Ash smiled. "Yes! Talonflame, fly on top of Cryogonal!"

Talonflame immediately shot high up into the air and positioned itself directly above Cryogonal. "Cryogonal! Aim Flash Cannon directly above yourself!" Wulfric shouted. As the snowflake Pokemon began to charge the silver beam, Ash smiled to himself.

"Talonflame, use Brave Bird and dive directly into their attack!" Talonflame's body became enveloped in a blue sheen as it readied the attack. Right as Cryogonal released its Flash Cannon, Talonflame took a nosedive at the snowflake Pokemon. The sheer force that Talonflame exerted diverted the silver beam around its body, allowing the bird Pokemon to score a direct hit on Cryogonal.

Cryogonal fell towards the ground, defeated by Talonflame's attack. At the same time, Talonflame's body emitted sparks of blue electricity, a symptom of recoil damage. The bird Pokemon subsequently fell towards the ground after Cryogonal. "Both Pokemon are unable to battle!" the Butler announced.

Both Wulfric and Ash recalled their Pokemon back into their Pokeballs. "That was an intense battle," Dawn commented. Serena nodded her head in agreement. "I wonder what Wulfric's final Pokemon is," Clemont added.

Clemont's question was soon answered. Without saying a word, Wulfric expressionlessly summoned his last Pokemon. A gigantic Pokemon with a white, shaggy body and green, leaflike appendages stood on the battlefield. A glowing marble was attached to a necklace draped around the Pokemon's neck.

"Abomasnow!" Ash exclaimed. Abomasnow's presence immediately altered the atmosphere of the battlefield. Grey, wispy clouds began to cover the entire court as hail began to pelt the ground. "That's Snow Warning, Abomasnow's ability," Clemont pointed out, adjusting his glasses. "It summons a hailstorm whenever a Pokemon with the ability enters battle."

Ash shivered as the hailstorm turned the battlefield into a freezer. Burning with anticipation on the inside, he called out his final Pokemon, his trump card. "Greninja, let's go!" As the ninja frog emerged from Ash's Pokeball, Delphox simultaneously burst out of her Pokeball. There was no way Delphox would miss cheering for Greninja.

The hail pelted the ninja frog, but he didn't seem to mind. Ash looked at Greninja and nodded. _We've trained in the blizzard for this moment. This little hail won't prevent us from victory._

Wulfric looked serious. Revealing a concealed keystone inside his coat, Wulfric exclaimed, "Abomasnow! Answer my call! Beyond evolution-Mega evolve!" A bright light emanated from Wulfric's keystone and Abomasnow's Mega necklace. The light from Pokemon and trainer connected, covering Abomasnow in an orange-pink light. When the light dissipated, Abomasnow emerged with a new form.

Ash looked stunned yet exhilarated at the sight of a Mega Abomasnow. _We'll get a taste of its power before we counter-attack,_ he thought to himself. Mega Abomasnow trudged towards Greninja. The ninja frog stood stationary, unbudging to the looming Snow Tree Pokemon slowly inching towards him. _So it's slow. That probably means it makes up for its lack of speed in bulk._

Mega Abomasnow stopped in front of Greninja. Greninja opened one eye and looked at his gargantuan opponent. "Abomasnow! Use Wood Hammer!" Obeying Wulfric's command, Abomasnow's left arm began to glow a brilliant green. Striking with great force, Abomasnow smashed Greninja into the wall of the building.

"Greninja!" Ash cried out in concern. Clemont was biting his fingers. "That was a direct, super-effective attack!" Serena, Dawn, and Bonnie looked worriedly at Ash and Greninja. Delphox cried out at the sight of Greninja getting so easily swept off his feet.

Greninja stood up among the rubble from the cracked wall. "Jah!" he fiercely exclaimed, showing Ash that he was ready to retaliate.

"Alright, time to give this gadget a try," Ash announced. Placing his finger over his bracelet, Ash chanted, "Greninja! Mega evolve!" The entire field was silent except for the tinkling of the ice pelting the ground. Nothing happened. Ash looked confused and worried. "Greninja! Mega evolve!" he repeated.

Still, no response. "Abomasnow! Use Razor Leaf!" Abomasnow proceeded to pummel Greninja repeatedly with sharp foliage. Ash stood there trembling, not knowing what to do. All of a sudden, he snapped out of his trance. _Mega Evolution. It's not just a means to gain more power. It's supposed to be the physical manifestation of the bond between trainer and Pokemon. I have to have my heart connected with Greninja for it to work._

Ash looked up to see Greninja taking hit after hit from Abomasnow. _This keystone and Greninja's Mega Stone has latent powers that can only be awakened by our bond, but not just our bond-everyone helped me get to this point, especially Serena._ Ash looked up at the spectator stands, noticing Serena's worried look.

"Greninja!" Ash cried out. The ninja frog, hearing his trainer's voice at last, swiftly jumped out of the volley of sharp leaves and dashed back to Ash. "I'm sorry, Greninja. I didn't realize…" Greninja nodded his head in understanding and forgiveness. "Alright then, let's do it!"

Ash and Greninja chanted and tucked their elbows into their sides in sync. "Greninja, Mega Evolve!" The frog Pokemon became surrounded by a veil of spiraling water as it took a new form. Wulfric looked on in amazement, not knowing that Greninja had a Mega Evolution.

"Abomasnow! Use Wood Hammer!" Wulfric shouted as the Snow Tree Pokemon's arm became cloaked in a vibrant green light. Greninja, in his new form, easily dodged the attack. His speed was unparalleled, and Abomasnow's sluggish nature proved problematic for Wulfric.

"Counter with Aerial Ace!" Ash responded. The bulky Abomasnow could not react in time to Greninja's swift attack. Before Wulfric could blink, Abomasnow was on its knees. Still, Wulfric knew that the battle was not over yet.

"Abomasnow, Blizzard!" A flurry of snow and ice began to swirl around Abomasnow. _Perfect,_ Ash thought. "Now!" Wulfric exclaimed as Abomasnow unleashed a torrent of snow and ice at Greninja.

"Greninja! Use Water Shuriken!" Greninja put his palms together, forming a star-shaped disk of water. Taking a swift spin for greater momentum, Greninja launched his attack with great velocity at the oncoming Blizzard. Greninja's Water Shuriken sliced through the Blizzard with ease, becoming frozen along the way.

"An Ice Shuriken!" Clemont commented in surprise. The attack struck Abomasnow square in the face as the Blizzard stormed and pummeled Greninja. Explosions on both sides of the battlefield sent large plumes of dust into the air.

As the dust settled, both Abomasnow and Greninja stood tenaciously, unbudging. Ash and Wulfric, as well as everyone else in the room, were expressionless and silent. Delphox and Serena both placed their hands over their chests, praying for Ash and Greninja. Clemont, Dawn, Bonnie, Piplup, and Buneary looked anxiously at the battlefield, knowing that one of the Pokemon was bound to collapse.

Ash fell to his knees, exhausted from Greninja's Mega Evolution. Wulfric smiled expectantly. However, Abomasnow suddenly slumped onto the ground, reverted to its original form, and fainted from the battle. Greninja resumed his original form as well, but remained standing.

"Wulfric and Abomasnow are unable to battle! Ash and Greninja are the victors!" Ash's friends cheered in delight and relief from the spectator stands as Wulfric recalled Abomasnow into its Pokeball. Ash looked up and saw Wulfric in front of him, offering him a hand to get back on his feet. "Thank you," Ash said.

"Your Greninja is quite impressive," Wulfric responded as he looked at Greninja, who was being cuddled by Delphox. The Butler made his way over to Ash with a badge in his hands.

"Ash, I award you the Iceberg Badge as proof of your valiant triumph at the Snowbelle Gym!" Wulfric announced as he removed the badge from the Butler's hands and offered it to Ash. Ash graciously accepted his eighth badge, while Serena, Dawn, Bonnie, and Clemont scurried over to Ash, congratulating him in his victory.

"Alright! I got the Iceberg Badge!" Ash hopped high into the air, holding his new badge in his right hand. Pikachu and Greninja joined in, throwing their fists in the air.

"With your eighth badge, you are now eligible for the Kalos League," Wulfric informed an excited Ash. Ash turned his head towards Wulfric and nodded. "Yeah, and this time I plan to win!" Wulfric smiled at Ash's optimism.

Ash and his friends stood at the front entrance of the Snowbelle Gym, waving goodbye to Wulfric and the Butler. "Thanks for everything!" Ash exclaimed. "The food was great!" Wulfric and the Butler smiled and waved back. Knowing that the Kalos League was waiting for him, Ash strode excitedly towards the Pokemon Center to revitalize his Pokemon, prompting his friends to dash after him.

* * *

A little more hinting of Greninja and Delphox in this chapter... sorry again if it seems unnatural. I didn't hear of this ship until some of you guys requested it, so I'm trying my best to incorporate it into the story without making it awkward. Next time: Chapter 12 - The Path of Discovery! Toodles!


	12. Chapter 12 - The Path of Discovery

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 12 - The Path of Discovery**

Following victory at the Snowbelle Gym, Ash and his friends made their way back to Lumiose City. Clemont had informed his friends that he had some errands back home to run, and word got out to Ash that the Kalos League would be held in one week's time in Clemont's home city. Having nothing better to do, the friends tagged along with Clemont back to Lumiose City.

The friends were making their way back to Lumiose City in the fastest way possible: through Route 21, Route 22, Santalune City, and Route 4. Route 21 and 22 were an easy breeze for the friends, except for Clemont, since they were mostly grasslands with several small groves of trees scattered about.

Clemont had been whining the entire way through. Ash and Pikachu were fired up for the coming Kalos League. Meanwhile, Bonnie and Dawn tried to help Serena become more assertive and direct about her feelings for Ash.

"I'm surprised that even Bonnie knows about your crush on Ash," Dawn admitted. "You do make it as obvious as I thought you would." Serena sulked at Dawn's teasing words.

"Yup! I knew about it ever since Miette teased Serena about Ash!" Bonnie giggled as she nudged Serena with her elbow. Serena felt her cheeks turn red from embarrassment.

"Stop it, you guys!" Serena pouted. She looked at the wispy clouds and the light blue sky. "I… I try my best to give little hints about my feelings to Ash. But I always freak out and lose my calm whenever I try to confront him about it! I can't do anything about it!"

Dawn looked understandingly at Serena. "I know just the thing to help you with your uneasiness."

Ash and Clemont, ahead of the girls, noticed that they had slowed down. "You guys okay back there?" Serena, Dawn, and Bonnie fidgeted around to look normal. "Yeah! Everything's perfectly fine! Just go on ahead without us; we'll catch up with you guys."

Dawn let out a sigh of relief after Ash and Clemont turned away and continued walking. "Okay. Serena, let's get you to be more comfortable talking about Ash. Bonnie, why don't you help me out?" Bonnie grinned from ear to ear at Dawn's offer. Serena looked uneasy, uncertain about what Dawn had in mind.

"Okay, tell us everything about Ash that makes you attracted to him." Serena instantly turned pink at Dawn's request.

"Whaaa… I-I…" Serena was abruptly cut off by Dawn.

"See?" Dawn responded. "You're too clammed up about your true feelings, even to other people!"

Serena sighed. "Well, it's so embarrassing to tell others, don't you think?"

Dawn nodded her head in sympathy. "Yes, it's embarrassing, I know. But you'll still have to get over that barrier if you're ever going to confess to Ash, right?"

Serena sheepishly nodded her head. "I-I guess you're right."

Dawn smiled at Serena's change in attitude. "Bonnie, why don't you do the honors?"

Bonnie smirked at Serena. "What do you like about Ash?" Serena felt her cheeks turn pink again at Bonnie's words.

"I-I like his optimism… I guess… and his kindness, his battle experience, his personality, not to mention that he's good looki-aghh! I'm saying too much!" Serena covered her reddening face with her palms.

While nearing Santalune City, Bonnie and Dawn took turns asking Serena about her attraction for Ash. Serena gradually became more comfortable with talking about her feelings.

"How do you feel now?" Dawn asked Serena. "Do you feel more certain and confident of your feelings?"

Serena thought for a second and then responded to Dawn. "Yeah, thank you. I feel more comfortable about it now. I think saying it out loud really helped me discover more about myself and my own feelings."

"Hooray!" Bonnie shouted out loud while parading around Serena and Dawn. Dawn then looked at Serena with a serious expression. "Knowing your own feelings is one thing. Admitting and confessing to the person is another thing entirely."

Serena sighed to herself. _Here we go again…_ Serena took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Alright, I'm ready."

Dawn smiled at Serena's genuine effort. "Okay. Pretend that Bonnie is Ash. Now how will you reveal your feelings to him?" Serena started shuffling around nervously at the sight of Bonnie's enormous, teasing grin across her face. "Does it have to be Bonnie?" Serena whined.

"Well, you _are_ going to be saying it to both of us either way," Dawn replied. Serena groaned and grumbled to herself.

For the remainder of the trip, Bonnie and Dawn took turns impersonating Ash as Serena confessed to them. "I think you're all set!" Dawn exclaimed with a bright smile. Bonnie nodded her head eagerly in agreement. Serena looked anxiously at the two girls and timidly nodded her head. "Ahahaha… yeah, I guess so."

Serena still had some doubts that she kept to herself. _Even if I can openly reveal my true feelings to Bonnie and Dawn, I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it in front of Ash! What if I mess up?_ Dawn and Bonnie snapped Serena out of her trance. Dawn reassuringly rested her hand on Serena's shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." Serena looked worriedly at Dawn and Bonnie, who both smiled back at her.

"Thanks, you two," Serena gratefully replied. The three girls caught up to Ash and Clemont once they had reached Santalune City.

"I'm starving!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu loyally agreed.

A little yellow reptile suddenly appeared and jumped at Ash, dragging his cap over his eyes. "Ahhh! What's going on?" Ash struggled to catch the little reptile that was climbing all over his body. Ash readjusted his cap and saw a familiar woman walking towards him. "Alexa! Which must mean…" The little reptile had stopped moving. "Helioptile!"

Helioptile jumped off of Ash and scampered over to Alexa. "Hello, guys! Long time no see!" Alexa greeted. "And who is this?" Piplup made his way over to Helioptile, puffing up his chest. "Pi-piplup!" This prompted the timid Helioptile to release a Parabolic Charge directly at the small penguin Pokemon.

"That's Dawn, my friend from Sinnoh! And that blue penguin is her partner, Piplup." Ash responded as Dawn scurried over to Piplup. Alexa apologized to Dawn and Piplup, explaining that Helioptile was very shy around strangers.

"No problem!" Dawn replied. "Hello Alexa, nice to meet you!" Dawn and Alexa's greetings to each other were interrupted by a loud grumble. Everyone traced the source of the sound to Ash's stomach. Ash nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Hahaha…"

"Why don't you all come over to my sister's place?" Alexa offered. "I can fix you guys some lunch." The five friends all nodded their heads in sync. "We'd love to!" they harmonized.

After they finished their lunch, the five friends let out a long sigh of satisfaction. "Thanks, Alexa! The food was great!" the friends exclaimed. Ash stood up first and planted his palms firmly on the table. "Where's Viola? Can I have a battle with her again?"

"She's out of town doing photoshoots for her photo collection." Ash groaned at Alexa's response. "Aw, man! What a bummer…"

All of a sudden, the lights inside the building flickered and dimmed out. Everyone gasped in surprise, except for Clemont. Serena, afraid of the dark, clung onto Ash's arm.

 _Oh no, I didn't think it would happen so soon,_ Clemont thought to himself. A robotic arm with a sun-like disk at the end extended from the side of Clemont's backpack. The disk emitted a ray of light, illuminating the dark room.

"Clemont, do you know what is going on?" Alexa interrogated. Clemont's face was blue as he looked towards the ground. "Yeah… I do." Everyone turned to and focused their attention on Clemont as he explained.

"Well, then we'd better hurry back to Lumiose City as soon as possible," Ash proposed. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. The friends made their way out of Viola's place and out into the afternoon sun. Everyone in the city was out on the streets, surprised at the sudden power outage.

Alexa ran towards the press building, turning her head to Ash and his friends. "I have to go check up on my workplace!" she shouted. "You guys go on ahead and hurry back to Lumiose City!"

The friends looked each other. Then, nodding their heads, they all turned to Route 4 and sprinted back to Lumiose City.

* * *

What's going on? What's with the sudden blackout? The suspense builds as the looming problem draws near... Next time: Chapter 13 - An Electrical Crisis! Toodles!


	13. Chapter 13 - An Electrical Crisis!

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 13 - An Electrical Crisis!**

Clemont dashed ahead of the group, to everyone's surprise. He sprinted straight towards Prism Tower, using his Aipom Arm to unlock to side entrance to the building. Making his way to the top of the tower, Clemont immediately pulled a red switch that read "Emergency Power." Ash and the others finally caught up with Clemont inside the tower.

"Don't worry guys, the Power Plant is in trouble, but this emergency power supply can last three days when providing power to Kalos." Clemont heaved, huffing and puffing from his sprint.

The friends all spent the next minute catching their breath. "So, Clemont, what did you mean when you said that the Power Plant is in trouble?" Ash questioned when he finally regained his breath.

"A month ago, I received an electronic message from the Power Plant manager stating that he had received an anonymous message from mysterious people who claimed that the Power Plant would be of great use to their plans." Clemont explained. "I thought that the message was just a joke, so I ignored it. But just yesterday, the manager sent me another message claiming that the mysterious people had sent their message again. I'm sorry that I kept it to myself; I thought it wouldn't be right to drag you guys into a problem that you guys aren't a part of."

The friends were all ears while Clemont explained the situation at hand. "We have three days to get to the bottom of this problem," he continued. "Let's head over to the Power Plant as soon as possible to pinpoint the cause of the power outage."

Clemont, Ash, Serena, Dawn, and Bonnie all made their way towards the Power Plant on Route 13. As soon as they arrived at the scene, they saw an enormous apparatus with wires connected to the antennae of the Power Plant, draining all of Kalos' electricity. Officer Jenny was at the scene, along with Professor Sycamore, Diantha, Steven, and others of authority.

Several goons dressed in flashy red-orange suits stood at the entrance to the Power Plant, guarding the door with a flock of Golbat and a pack of Mightyena. Officer Jenny's Manectric growled menacingly at the strangers who were standing guard at the front of the Power Plant.

"Steven!" Ash and his friends called out, running over to the Hoenn Champion. Steven looked surprised to see Ash and his friends at the Power Plant. "Steven, do you know what's going on?"

Steven looked at the group of people in the orange suits and pointed at them. "They are a part of Team Flare. I don't know what exactly they intend to do, but they are harnessing the power of the Power Plant for something big." _Like the other time when they showed up in Hoenn and stole the Giant Rock, which was rumored to be the source of Mega Evolution…_ Steven thought disappointedly to himself.

Ash recklessly dashed towards the people in the orange uniform. "Stop what you're doing at once! You're causing a power outage for the entire Kalos Region!" The Team Flare grunts chuckled to themselves. "Get lost, kid."

Ash looked at Pikachu and nodded his head. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" The electrifying attack knocked out the flock of Golbat, sending them all crashing towards the ground. The grunts looked agitated as they recalled the Golbat into their Pokeballs. Officer Jenny joined Ash in his efforts to infiltrate the Power Plant. "Manectric, use Thunder!" Streams of electricity began to permeate from Manectric throughout the ground and the air. The lightning wolf Pokemon unleashed a torrent of electricity directly at the Mightyena, knocking them out.

The Team Flare grunts looked worried as they recalled their Mightyena and realized that they had no Pokemon left for battle. They scrambled into the building, prompting Ash and Officer Jenny to chase after them. "The door is locked!" Ash exclaimed. Clemont and the rest of Ash's friends scurried over.

"Let me handle this," Clemont announced as the Aipom Arm behind his backpack extended to unlock the door to the Power Plant. Once inside, the group of friends saw no one. "They're taking off!" Steven yelled from outside the Power Plant. As the friends scurried back to the outside of the building, they saw an enormous blimp with a large, rectangular metal box. Attached to the bottom of the box were wires that connected to the antennae of the Power Plant.

The wires were disconnected from the antennae and retracted into the box once the blimp had gained considerable altitude. The blimp took off into the sky, seemingly moving westward.

Minutes after Team Flare left the Power Plant, Officer Jenny received reports of power being restored to the Kalos Region. "Well, at least that's taken care of," Clemont sighed with relief at hearing the news. He looked toward the direction that the blimp had flown off to. "I wonder what Team Flare is up to…"

Steven, Diantha, and Professor Sycamore walked over to the group of friends. "We're going to follow their tail," Steven announced to the group. "We are unsure what those Team Flare members are up to, but we have a hunch that they are up no good."

Ash and his friends faced each other and silently agreed to help. "We're coming along with you guys."

Steven's Metagross, Diantha's Gardevoir, and Professor Sycamore's Garchomp helped track Team Flare all the way to a remote island off the west coast of Kalos. The rectangular box, observed to be a battery of sorts, was detached from the blimp and carried off into an underground basement.

"This place seems unusually empty," Clemont pointed out. Officer Jenny took note of Clemont's observation.

"You're right, Clemont. We should be extra careful." Officer Jenny parked her speedboat at a remote corner of the island, where it could not be seen by anyone standing at the top of the island. Ash and his friends made their way onto the island's shore as Steven, Diantha, and Professor Sycamore, with the help of their Pokemon, followed behind in the air.

Thanks to Garchomp's digging, the group made their way into an underground basement without being detected. Inside the strange complex, there were numerous cylindrical glass containers that held green amoeba-like creatures. Squishy peeked out of Bonnie's bag and looked worriedly at the cell-like creatures.

"I think Squishy wants us to save its friends!" Bonnie interpreted.

All of a sudden, the cells began to glow green, one after another. Green energy was directed from inside the glass cylinders into another unknown room through tubes attached to the tops of the glass containers. A loud explosion sounded from outside the basement.

"Sorry, Bonnie, but we don't know the full extent of what Team Flare is planning," Steven replied. "We'll free them after we know for sure what they are."

Bonnie frowned and shrugged her shoulders. "Then I'm going to stay in here and wait for you guys to be done!"

"I'll stay here, too, and watch over my sister," Clemont added. "You guys go on ahead and find out what's going on." Ash, Serena, Dawn, Steven, Diantha, Professor Sycamore, and Officer Jenny all nodded their heads.

"Be careful, Clemont," Ash said as he made his way deeper into the complex.

It wasn't long before the group of investigators ran into a fork in the building.

"We'll split up," Steven commanded. "Ash, Serena, and Dawn, come with me. Professor Sycamore, Diantha, and Officer Jenny, please check out the other side." The whole group nodded, and split ways.

Steven and his Metagross led the three friends towards the end of a dark tunnel.

"Shh!" Steven whispered as he leaned against the wall of the tunnel. "I think I see people in the room." The four friends looked on in horror as they saw the inhabitants of the room.

A pale scientist with glasses and a bright orange outfit laughed maniacally as he laid his hand on a glass cylinder larger than all the others surrounding it. Inside the large glass container was another Squishy, but the hexagon on its chest was blue instead of the typical red.

"Doctor Xerosic!" an assistant exclaimed excitedly. "The test was successful! The grove at the southern end of the island has been obliterated."

Xerosic smiled to himself and then laughed out loud, "To think that this was achieved with only one Zygarde core and a few hundred cells!" Steven continued to listen attentively to all of the information that Xerosic and his assistant, in their nefarious excitement, were sharing. Serena and Dawn looked at each other in horror while Ash clenched his fists, furious at Team Flare for exploiting Pokemon.

"Very well," Xerosic continued. "Now go find the other Zygarde core. Word has it that it's somewhere on this island; it'll only be a matter of time before we find it!" Xerosic laughed evilly. Steven, shocked by what he had heard, dragged the three friends back towards the room where Bonnie and Clemont waited anxiously.

Before reaching Bonnie and Clemont, however, the four friends ran into Officer Jenny, Professor Sycamore, and Diantha at the fork in the complex. "What information did you guys gather?" Steven questioned.

"It's terrible!" Diantha exclaimed. "Team Flare is exploiting an enormous Mega Stone, a Zygarde core, Zygarde cells, and the electricity they gathered at the Power Plant to power their ultimate weapon!"

"We also gathered similar information," Steven added worriedly. "Furthermore, we have pinpointed the location of the blue Zygarde core. Those green creatures within the cylinders are the cells of Zygarde. We must free them, or Team Flare's weapon will work."

Steven looked at the ground. "...and it seems that we've been spotted. Team Flare already knows that we've infiltrated their base and are probably on their way to stop us as we speak."

A loud scream accompanied by a yell and the cry of a Luxray sounded in the distance. "Bonnie and Clemont!" Serena cried out in concern.

"Let's go!" Ash yelled out, leading the group back to the room where Bonnie and Clemont were in.

"Stop right there." A man in a slick black suit and slim pants emerged from behind the friends, accompanied by several scientists in flashy orange uniforms. The man had flaring orange hair and a shaggy orange beard.

"Lysandre!" Steven yelled out in shock, clenching his fists.

Lysandre greeted the Champion of the Hoenn region. "I'm sorry for deceiving you back in Hoenn. I hope you forgive me because it was all done in the name of business."

Steven looked back at the others. "Everyone! Go and help Clemont and Bonnie! Diantha, please lend me a hand." The Champions of the Hoenn and Kalos region joined forces to distract Lysandre and Team Flare. Ash, Serena, Dawn, Professor Sycamore, and Officer Jenny sprinted towards the room where Bonnie and Clemont were.

Behind the group of friends, Steven and Diantha both chanted, "Metagross/Gardevoir, Mega Evolve!" Ash looked back in awe but refocused on the issue he was tasked with. He needed to find Bonnie and Clemont.

* * *

I'm actually going to be out the entire day tomorrow, so I won't be able to upload Chapter 14 - The Ultimate Weapon. So what I plan to do instead is upload it today later on. So yeah, toodles!


	14. Chapter 14 - The Ultimate Weapon

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 14 - The Ultimate Weapon**

"Bonnie! Clemont!" Ash yelled as he ran into the room. Bonnie and Clemont were nowhere to be seen. Serena, Dawn, Professor Sycamore, and Officer Jenny trailed behind the concerned trainer.

"They're gone," Officer Jenny observed, "Which means that they must have taken our tunnel as an exit!" The group sprinted through the tunnel, which led them out to the shore. Officer Jenny's boat was still adrift in the shallow water. "Manectric, can you pick up their scent?" Officer Jenny requested.

"Grrr… rawr rawr!" Manectric growled as its keen sense of smell led it to a trail of footprints in the sand. The footprints, scattered about, revealed that a struggle had taken place.

"This way!" Officer Jenny called out to the rest of the group.

Manectric and Officer Jenny led the others to a flight of stairs where the trail of footprints ended. "Manectric, follow their scent," Officer Jenny commanded. The lightning wolf's ears perked up as Manectric sniffed and made its way up the stairs towards a large building with a titanium and glass frame.

 _Clemont, Bonnie, we're coming to save you!_ Ash thought to himself as he slammed the side of his body against the unbudging door.

"Ash! You're going to hurt yourself!" Serena cried out in concern.

"You guys sure are _great_ at keeping quiet!" a voice mocked from high in the air. The group of five turned around to see a woman with orange hair, odd-looking spectacles, and a flashy orange uniform riding a Druddigon.

"Who are you?" Professor Sycamore asked aggressively.

"My name is Aliana of Team Flare! Your meddling with Team Flare stops right here, right now!" Aliana pulled a Pokeball out of her uniform, tossing it into the air. "Mightyena, use Shadow Ball!"

"Garchomp, counter it with Slash!" Professor Sycamore yelled out as the Mach Pokemon split the Shadow Ball in half. "Now follow that up with a Hyper Beam!" A bright red and violet plume erupted from Garchomp's mouth and directly struck Mightyena. The dark wolf fainted from the overwhelming attack.

"Grr… Mightyena, return!" Aliana grunted as she recalled Mightyena into its Pokeball. "Druddigon, use Focus Blast!" The rugged dragon launched a bright blue sphere directly at Garchomp. Unable to move after the Hyper Beam it launched, Garchomp was completely vulnerable to the oncoming attack.

"Manectric, use Thunder!" Officer Jenny interrupted. Manectric released a huge amount of electricity towards to bright blue sphere, causing a giant explosion. "Professor, now's your chance!" Officer Jenny exclaimed.

"Alright. Garchomp, use Dragon Rush!" Professor Sycamore commanded. Garchomp flew straight at Druddigon, who was paralyzed from the Mach Pokemon's intimidating glare, subsequently knocking Aliana's last Pokemon out.

Ash had broken open the door with the help of Pikachu's Iron Tail. "Come on, let's go!" he exclaimed. Serena, Dawn, Officer Jenny, Professor Sycamore and his Garchomp all turned around and followed Ash. Aliana looked on helplessly as she recalled Druddigon into its Pokeball.

Aliana clicked on a transmitter on the odd spectacle device covering her eyes. "Xerosic, the group of meddlers have gotten past me… they're headed straight for the central control room!"

The group of five made their way down tunnel after tunnel and finally stopped in front of a large entrance, which was guarded by lasers and an enormous steel door. On the right side of the door was a tiny keyboard built into the wall.

"This must be where you enter the password," Dawn observed. Officer Jenny scurried over and leaned in for a closer look.

"The problem is," Officer Jenny commented, "We don't know what the password is."

"The password is Zygarde." The group of five turned around and saw Steven and Diantha walking towards them. Professor Sycamore smiled in relief at the sight of the two Champions.

"Did you deal with Lysandre and the others?" Professor Sycamore questioned.

The two Champions nodded their heads, putting a smile across everyone's faces. "Yes. In fact, we even acquired the password from several of the grunts."

Meanwhile, Officer Jenny typed "Zygarde" into the panel attached to the wall. In an instant, the screen glowed green as the lasers faded and the steel door retracted slowly. A loud buzz was echoing from inside the mysterious room. Steven faltered momentarily and then warily looked towards everyone in the tunnel.

"EVERYONE, TAKE COVER!" Steven suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, tackling Diantha towards the side of the tunnel, away from the opening door. Dawn and Officer Jenny pressed their backs against the panel while Professor Sycamore shoved Serena towards Dawn and Officer Jenny.

Ash was staring blankly at the bright light coming from inside the room. The steel door slowly creaked to a stop as the entrance fully opened. The bright light gradually dimmed and shifted into a green light. Ash squinted as he tried to discern what was inside the room. _Glass cylinders. Zygarde Cells. Both Zygarde Cores...Bonnie! Clemont!_

Ash recklessly ran headfirst into the room towards the two blonde siblings who were both unconscious and leaning against the wall, bound in ropes. Serena broke free from Professor Sycamore's clutch on her arm and ran towards the entrance. "ASH!" Serena cried out.

An enormous cannon-like device was mounted on a metallic pedestal. The glass cylinders with Zygarde Cells and Cores all had tubes that connected to the device. Behind the cannon, Xerosic stood firmly with a remote control in his hand.

"Serena! No! Come back!" Dawn yelled. Dawn caught up with Serena and struggled to drag her back to the side of the tunnel, away from the entrance to the room. Professor Sycamore and Steven joined Dawn and constrained Serena from running towards Ash.

Ash suddenly realized that the cannon was pointed directly at him. He stopped dead in his tracks, finally realizing the predicament he was in. He grabbed hold of Pikachu and quickly ran towards the side, attempting to escape the cannon's line of fire.

"Futile," Xerosic chuckled to himself, decisively pressing the red button on his remote device. A bright green light glowed from the Zygarde containers' insides and moved into the tubes, feeding energy into the cannon. Ash desperately tried to make his way out of the room as the cannon began to emit a green light. He threw Pikachu at Serena, Dawn, Steven, and the others.

"Pikachu!" the little yellow mouse cried as it was flung into the air. Before anyone could blink, a solid beam of green light engulfed Ash and traveled down the tunnel, causing an enormous explosion outside of the facility.

The group of friends looked at the solid beam in horror. As the light gradually dissipated and revealed a motionless stone-Ash, Serena stared at Ash's unconscious body in shock and denial for minutes before her eyes began to swell with tears of hopelessness. _No._ Serena thought to herself. _This can't be happening. I'm dreaming, right?_ Serena fell to her knees, bending over as droplets of tears began trickling down her face and falling onto the petrified figure of Ash.

"Ash!" Serena sobbed. Pikachu scurried over to his immobile trainer. The little mouse began to cry. Officer Jenny and Professor Sycamore looked at the stony remains of Ash in horror, unable to move. Dawn began tearing up at the sight of her old friend being turned to stone. Steven and Diantha immediately stormed into the room. At the sight of the two furious Champions storming towards him, Xerosic's facial expression immediately changed to one of worry and anger.

Steven and Diantha backed Xerosic against a wall, leaving the Team Flare scientist with nowhere to go. Quickly drawing two Pokeballs from his uniform, Xerosic exclaimed, "Let's go, Crobat and Malamar!"

The two Champions responded equally as fast. "Go Gardevoir/Metagross!" they chanted in sync.

"Confuse Ray!" Xerosic barked at Crobat. "Malamar, hypnotize them!" To the scientist's dismay, Steven's Metagross had already defeated Crobat with a deadly Meteor Mash. Malamar was also on the ground, knocked out by Gardevoir's Moonblast.

"Well well well," Xerosic melodramatically sighed. "Looks like you have me cornered. But I'm not going to go down alone!" Xerosic scornfully laughed as Steven and Diantha turned around to see the cannon pointed directly towards them. "Goodbye, almighty Champions!"

Before Xerosic could press the red button on his remote control, he suddenly became stiff and stopped moving. A light purple aura surrounded him. Serena and Delphox were slowly inching toward the scientist. Without a word, Delphox used her psychic powers and removed the remote device from Xerosic's hands, transferring it over to Serena. Steven and Diantha broke out of their faze and dashed out of the cannon's line of fire.

Dawn and Pikachu, perched beside Ash's motionless body, looked towards Serena. "Serena…" Dawn muttered. Serena's eyes were filled with contempt. But before she could do anything, she collapsed onto the ground, exhausted. Dawn ran over to embrace Serena, shaking her to wake her up. Officer Jenny pulled out a pair of handcuffs and walked over to detain Xerosic. Professor Sycamore helped untie Bonnie and Clemont and woke the two siblings up.

"What's…happening?" Clemont mumbled as he slowly regained his senses.

"Where are we?" Bonnie added, equally as confused as Clemont. Bonnie immediately snapped out of her faze when she saw Squishy trapped inside a glass cylinder. "Squishy!" Bonnie cried out as she ran over to Squishy, pounding her fists on the glass container in attempt to break it. Clemont ran after his sister and used his Aipom Arm to lift her high into the air.

"Bonnie! That's not going to do anything." Clemont lowered his sister onto the ground, giving her a big hug. "Don't worry. I'll save Squishy and all of its friends." Bonnie smiled at her brother's reassuring promise.

"Where's Ash and Seren-" Clemont stopped his sentence short as he saw Ash's petrified body. Bonnie looked up at her brother's paling face and followed his line of sight. Bonnie froze when she saw Ash motionless on the ground and Dawn embracing an unconscious Serena. The two blonde siblings solemnly made their way over to Ash's fallen body.

Steven and Diantha explained everything that had happened to the two siblings. Dawn helped Serena recover, but Serena broke into tears the moment she saw Ash on the ground. Officer Jenny looked with remorse as she held a detained Xerosic by the handcuffs and picked up the remote device.

"I really am sorry for everything that has happened. I have called for backup and they are on their way. We'll have Team Flare under control." Officer Jenny saluted and made her way with Xerosic out of the room and out through the tunnel.

Bonnie began to cry when she saw Serena, full of anguish, stumble over next to Ash. Clemont felt his eyes swell and a lump at his throat, but he wiped away his tears with his sleeve and stood up. He walked over to the glass cylinders and pulled out a new device from his backpack without fanfare. This was no time for celebration or enthusiasm. Clemont expressionlessly cut a hole with the beam of light that his device emitted, freeing the two Zygarde Cores and the all of their Cells right after.

Squishy hopped over to Bonnie and noticed that she was crying. The other Zygarde core followed Squishy to Bonnie.

"Glu-ru-ru-ru-ru" Squishy said, getting Bonnie's attention. Sobbing, Bonnie picked up Squishy in her hands and gave it a gentle hug.

"Squishy," Bonnie whimpered, "Can you do anything… to help Ash?" The blue Zygarde Core looked at Squishy furiously and telepathically communicated with it. _We must not help the humans! All they do is exploit Pokemon for their own gain!_ Squishy hopped off of Bonnie and glared the blue Zygarde Core back in the eye. Squishy closed its eyes, sharing all of the memories it had acquired while on its journey with Ash, Bonnie, Clemont, and Serena.

The blue Zygarde Core grudgingly had a change of heart and nodded in agreement. A bright green light emanated from the two Zygarde cores as they fused. All the Cells from throughout the island phased into beams of light and conjoined with the Cores. Serena, Bonnie, Clemont, Dawn, Steven, Diantha, and Professor Sycamore all looked with amazement at Zygarde's transformation into its complete form.

"Astounding!" Professor Sycamore noted. Zygarde looked at Bonnie and then at the petrified body of Ash. Zygarde's eyes began to glow green as a mysterious green energy began to engulf Ash's body. Serena, along with Pikachu, still clung on tightly to Ash.

As the green light dimmed, a warm yellow aura enveloped an awakening Ash. The yellow aura slowly faded as Ash came to his senses. The first thing Ash saw was Serena's face, puffy and wet from crying. Pikachu then popped into Ash's range of vision with teary eyes.

Serena assisted Ash and helped him sit up straight. Ash looked around as Serena wiped her tears from her eyes. Ash immediately noticed the enormous green and black creature standing before him. All of a sudden, Zygarde's cells began to drift away as beams of green light as they phased through the ceiling and off into the skies. All that remained was Squishy and its blue-cored counterpart.

Bonnie, Clemont, and Dawn immediately ran over and simultaneously hugged their dear friend. "Ash! We were so worried!" Ash hugged them all back, appreciating his friends' concern but still unsure of exactly what happened. He then looked at the two Zygarde Cores and thanked them profusely, understanding that they had saved his life.

The three friends loosened their hugs on Ash, but Ash was still getting suffocated by Serena. "I-I can't breathe…" Ash blushed as Serena tightened her hug on Ash. Dawn, Bonnie, and Clemont all smiled at a distance. Professor Sycamore, relieved that Ash was safe, was intrigued by the Zygarde cores and took pictures of the two rare Pokemon. Steven and Diantha walked over to the three friends.

"It looks like your friend Serena really cares for Ash," Diantha whispered to Bonnie.

Bonnie smirked at the Champion's observation. "You're not wrong!" she gleefully replied.

Serena mustered all of her courage and looked Ash right in the eyes. "Ash, why are you so reckless? If Squishy and its friend didn't help us, you wouldn't be here right now!" Serena's eyes began to fill with tears as she softly pounded at Ash's chest while complaining. "Do you know how worried I was when I saw you turn into stone? If you had died, I wouldn't know what to do…Stupid stupid stupid! Stupid Ash…"

Pikachu scampered over and nudged his head against Ash's side. "Chuuu…" the little mouse cried, agreeing with Serena.

Ash was taken aback by Serena's sudden emotional outburst. He lifted his arms to return her embrace but lowered them when he noticed that everyone was looking directly at him, except for Professor Sycamore. Then, he realized that he didn't mind the staring. Lifting his arms again, Ash wrapped his arms around Serena, an action which made her loosen her grip on him. Ash embraced Serena, holding her closely and patting her on the back.

"Sorry. It's alright now, everything's back to normal, Serena," Ash reassured. The two unwound their arms around each other and helped each other stand up.

"Pikachu, come here." Ash hugged his partner tightly, rubbing his cheeks against the red cheeks of the electric mouse.

"Chaaa!" Pikachu squealed in joy of having his trainer back.

"I am truly glad to see that everyone is alright," Diantha spoke up. Steven nodded his head in agreement.

Professor Sycamore took a final snapshot of the Zygarde cores. "Well, shall we head back now?" The group of friends, all exhausted from their confrontation with Team Flare, eagerly nodded their heads. "Yes!"

The group made their way out to the beach through the tunnel. As they walked, Dawn and Bonnie linked arms and whispered to each other. They smirked at the sight of Serena leaning her head on Ash's shoulder as they made their way to the light at the end of the tunnel.

* * *

As promised, here is Chapter 14 - The Ultimate Weapon! With that, I'm not going to be updating the story until next Monday (for me). Worry not, for I'll be working on the future chapters over my weekend! Toodles!


	15. Chapter 15 - A Gooey Reunification!

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 15 - A Gooey Reunification!**

Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and Dawn returned to the Lumiose City Pokemon Center while Diantha and Steven gave our friends a warm farewell before they departed. With a well deserved good night's rest, the five friends were up and running early the next morning.

As usual, Ash was the first to wake up. He looked over at Serena and smiled to himself at the sight of her peaceful sleeping face, but couldn't help feeling guilty about his actions in the latest encounter with Team Flare. _I probably worried Serena so much yesterday…_

Ash's best friend, also awake, scampered over onto Ash's lap.

"Pika pi!" the little electric mouse greeted his trainer.

Ash chuckled and picked up Pikachu, nuzzling his cheek against the little mouse's face. "Good morning, buddy!" Ash playfully exclaimed as Pikachu squealed.

The ruckus that Ash and Pikachu had created woke Clemont, Bonnie, and Dawn up. All three of the friends groggily complained that Ash was being too loud.

"Oops! Sorry!" Ash apologized as Pikachu scratched his head with his paw, also apologizing.

But it was too late. Clemont was already brushing his teeth with Bonnie, who was dressed in her Tyrantrum pajamas. Dawn was vigorously brushing her messy bed hair as Piplup looked on with disapproval. Ash smiled at the sight of his friends being so relaxed and worry free.

 _It sure feels great now that everything is back to normal. Now I just have the Kalos League to worry about… not to mention that registration is starting today!_ Ash was beaming with excitement. However, his excitement was turned into worry when he realized that Serena was still asleep, much later than her usual wake up time. "Guess I should go wake her up."

Ash walked over to Serena's bed and curiously examined her face. _She doesn't seem to be in any sort of discomfort… she actually looks… happy?!_

All of a sudden, Serena murmured, "Ash… I love you, too…" Ash stumbled backwards, caught off-guard with Serena's sudden words of affection.

 _Is she… dreaming?! About me?_ Ash felt confused, but deep inside of him, he felt a subtle spark of joy. Ash turned his hat around and giddily chuckled to himself. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

The entire Pokemon Center shook when Serena screamed as she was awakened from her slumber. Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder, playfully giggled at Serena's puffy hair, poofed by Pikachu's electrifying attack. "Good morning, Seren-"

"ASH! WHY DID YOU WAKE ME UP FROM MY SLEEP? I WAS HAVING SUCH A GOOD DREAM ABOUT YOU AND-" Serena abruptly stopped as she came to her senses. _Oh my gosh, it's Ash!_ Serena stammered and fidgeted around, trying to act normal. "Uhh g-g-good morning Ash! Haha… ha…" Her face was turning a vibrant shade of red.

"Morning, Serena," Ash happily responded back. "Do you know what day it is today? It's registration day for the Kalos League!" Serena smiled at seeing Ash back to his normal self.

Clemont, Bonnie, and Dawn joined the two friends.

"Let's all go get breakfast, shall we?" Clemont suggested.

Serena started at Clemont's suggestion. "Wait! I haven't gotten ready yet!"

The four friends laughed at Serena as she scrambled to get herself ready for the big day ahead of them.

The five friends neared a looming stadium. Ash was running ahead of the group, dashing towards the registration booth in battle stadium's lobby.

"This is where the Kalos League will be hosted this year," Clemont explained, holding onto Bonnie's hand.

"Wow! This place is huge! It's amazing!" Ash exclaimed while running around, unable to contain his excitement.

Dawn and Piplup sighed at Ash's enthusiasm.

"Typical Ash," Dawn remarked.

Serena's reaction was the complete opposite of Dawn's. _Ash has trained so hard ever since I met him. I really hope he will win the Kalos League-no, I_ know _he will win the Kalos League!_ She gazed at Ash, who was busy touring the large building with Clemont and Bonnie's assistance.

Dawn moved closer to Serena and tapped her on her shoulder. "Clemont really is amazing, isn't he? I bet you he helped design this stadium…"

Serena nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, he probably did." Serena started making her way towards Ash, whose eyes were gleaming at the Pokemon of other trainers who were also there to register for the big competition.

"Uhm, Ash?" Serena nervously whispered. Ash immediately turned around and looked at Serena.

"Hey, Serena! What's up?" Ash was still grinning from ear to ear after petting a trainer's fluffy Skitty.

Serena shuffled her feet back and forth and nervously clasped her hands tightly behind her back. "Well, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to practice for tomorrow? Maybe I could be your battling partner…"

Ash's face slightly reddened at Serena's kind offer. "I-of course, Serena! How could I say no?"

Serena smiled as Ash motioned his other friends to follow him as he sprinted out of the building.

The five friends hurried over to the northernmost point of Lumiose City. The wetlands were just a minute's walk away, so there was plenty of open space and grass for a practice battle.

As Ash and Serena walked onto their respective places on the makeshift battlefield, Clemont moved to the center and exclaimed, "I will be the referee for this battle! This will be a three on three battle; both sides are allowed to make substitutions!"

Meanwhile, Bonnie and Dawn were getting situated under the shade of a tree. Piplup sat on Dawn's lap while Dedenne and Squishy peeped out of Bonnie's purse to watch the battle.

Serena's first Pokemon was Delphox. Ash called Noivern out to battle, since he knew that out of all the Pokemon on his team, Noivern needed the most experience.

Clemont sliced his hand through the air. "Battle begin!"

Ultrasonic sound waves and plumes of fire flew left, right, and all throughout the battlefield as Noivern and Delphox battled with fiery passion.

"Delphox! Use Fire Blast!" Serena exclaimed. Delphox used her branch to channel a flaming star, which began to take shape in front of the fox Pokemon. With the flick of her branch, Delphox sent the Fire Blast straight towards Noivern.

"Dodge, Noivern!" Ash commanded. The bat Pokemon agilely swooped down and to the side, evading the devastating fire attack. The Fire Blast, however, continued to fly towards a grove of trees, setting the grove ablaze on contact.

The five friends suddenly stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on the fire that Delphox had started.

Dawn was the first person to react. "Piplup, use Whirlpool!"

An enormous spiraling volume of water formed above the beak of the little blue penguin and was sent splashing into the grove of trees. Still, this did not extinguish the fire.

"Delphox! Use Psychic to isolate the fire!" Serena followed. The fox Pokemon tried her best to contain the spread of the flames with her psychic powers, but the fire had spread too much to be stopped.

Clemont was running back towards the City to look for assistance as Ash called out Greninja to try to put out the fire with his Water Shuriken attack. All of a sudden, the sky overhead darkened. Ash looked up at the sky as a single droplet of water fell onto Ash's forehead. Clemont stopped in his tracks and adjusted his glasses to look at the stormy sky.

 _Could it be?_ Ash thought to himself. He turned his head around and around, scanning the perimeter of the field. The rain began to pour, putting out the grove fire. Serena shuffled over to Ash, apologizing for what she had done.

Bonnie's eyes immediately lit up when she saw a familiar shadowy figure make its way towards the friends.

"Guys, look over there!" Bonnie yelled as she pointed her finger at the figure.

"Goodra!" Ash cried out in happiness, glad to see his friend. The slimy dragon Pokemon ran over to embrace Ash with a warm hug. With the warm gesture, the clouds overhead began to clear as sunlight filtered in through the clouds.

"Goodra, I'm in the middle of a battle with Serena right now. Want to join in?" Ash asked Goodra with fierce determination in his eyes.

"Goodra!" the dragon-type replied.

"Alright, then!" Ash exclaimed. "Noivern, sit this one out. I want you to see how another dragon type handles battles, so you can learn new things from Goodra!"

Ash and Serena resumed their battle. Gradually, the battle drew to its end as Serena's Sylveon gave out against Ash's Hawlucha. Hawlucha struck his signature victory pose as Clemont declared Ash the winner. Ash looked at Goodra with eyes full of hope.

"Goodra, tomorrow is the Kalos League. I have one more spot open on my team, so I was wondering if… if you want to come back and join me in competing!" Ash pulled out Goodra's old Pokeball. "If you want to come help me, I'd really appreciate it."

Goodra grinned at Ash, and tapped the Pokeball with its hand; it returned to Ash's side as his sixth, final Pokemon.

Ash picked up Goodra's Pokeball and looked at it. "Thank you, buddy." He then recalled the rest of his Pokemon back into their Pokeballs.

Serena was tending to her Sylveon. She pulled out several Poffles that she had baked and gave some sweet ones to Sylveon. This helped revitalize the Pokemon. Ash walked over to Serena and squatted down to hold Serena's hand gratefully.

"Ash!" Serena gasped in surprise. She began to turn a bit pink.

"Serena, thank you for everything." Ash sincerely smiled at Serena. "Thanks to you, I believe that I can win tomorrow at the Kalos League."

Serena shyly nodded her head. "No, Ash, you were the one who has been working hard this entire time! If anything, I should be thanking you for inspiring me with your optimism! What I did really was no problem. I mean, you've helped me so many times, so I thought that I should return the favor."

Ash grinned at Serena's response. "Well, I guess you're right! That's what friends are for!"

Sylveon looked up worriedly at her trainer, whose mind was overanalyzing Ash's words. _Friends?_ Serena thought. _Are we just… friends?_

Clemont, Bonnie, and Dawn all came over to the two friends.

"Let's get back to Lumiose City before it gets dark," Clemont suggested. The friends made their way hastily back to the heart of the Kalos Region. But something kept bothering Serena. She couldn't stop thinking about Ash and his words as she made her way back to the Pokemon Center with the rest of her friends.

* * *

Sorry about the two week absence and the lack of updates or uploads... As some of you might know, the past two weeks were the INFAMOUS AP Testing weeks... But now I'm back! I'll be uploading regularly now. Next time: Chapter 16 - The Kalos League! Toodles!


	16. Chapter 16 - The Kalos League!

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 16 - The Kalos League!**

It was a bright, sunny day. Starly, Fletchling, Swablu, and all sorts of other bird Pokemon sang their merry morning tunes, prompting Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and Dawn to wake up.

"I'm tired of Pokemon Center food," Dawn complained with a growling stomach. Bonnie sleepily nodded her head in agreement.

Clemont chuckled. "How about I make breakfast for everyone today, then?"

Ash couldn't turn down Clemont's offer. After all, who could turn down one of Clemont's delicious meals?

Serena also agreed to Clemont's offer. However, she was still thinking about what Ash had said to her yesterday. _Friends, huh?_ Serena contemplated to herself for what seemed to be the millionth time.

As the friends finished up their breakfast, Ash let out a huge sigh of satisfaction. "That was great! Thanks so much for the food, Clemont!"

Ash stood up and called out all of his Pokemon from their Pokeballs. "Alright, guys. Today is the big day. Let's show Kalos what we're made of!" Ash's Pokemon passionately cheered and loyally agreed with Ash.

Serena glanced over at Ash as he was pepping up his team. Bonnie and Dawn both noticed Serena's distressed look, so they walked over to confront their friend.

"What's the matter?" Dawn questioned, softly laying her hand on Serena's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie added, tugging on Serena's arm.

Serena looked at the two girls and gave out a deep sigh. "Thanks for worrying about me. Truth is, I'm just worried and nervous for Ash and the Kalos League." Although Serena wasn't telling the truth, Dawn and Bonnie did not realize that she was lying.

Ash and Hawlucha were helping to ease Noivern's anxiety for the upcoming tournament when a familiar boy with green hair and a little notebook approached the group of friends.

Clemont looked up from cleaning up and was the first to spot Ash's rival. "Hello there, Sawyer! Long time no see!" All the friends shifted their attention to Sawyer.

"Hey Ash!" Sawyer exclaimed, running towards Ash. Ash was taken by surprise when he saw Sawyer dashing full speed towards him. Sawyer skidded to a stop before he could collide with Ash. "Have you registered for the Kalos League yet?"

Ash stood up after patting Noivern's head comfortingly. "Yeah, I registered yesterday afternoon. I assume that you've already registered, too!"

Sawyer nodded his head. "Yeah, you bet! And I'm going to see you on the battlefield! Don't get eliminated in the preliminaries!"

Ash taunted Sawyer back. "You're one to be talking. But anyways, good luck with your battles."

The two friendly rivals eyed each other determinedly. "See you on the battlefield," they both remarked, shaking hands with each other.

"See you guys later!" Sawyer exclaimed to the rest of the group. With that, Sawyer ran off towards the stadium where the Kalos League would begin in several hours.

Talking to and seeing Sawyer fired up Ash even more.

"We'll definitely beat Sawyer, right guys?" Ash confidently declared, looking at his Pokemon. They all firmly nodded.

"How about we head over to the Lumiose Stadium now?" Clemont suggested, having finished packing and cleaning up after breakfast.

The friends all agreed and took off for the large stadium to prepare for Ash's upcoming challenge.

As Ash sprinted into the large stadium, he immediately noticed Sawyer talking with several other familiar faces.

"Tierno! Trevor!" Ash shouted excitedly, waving frantically.

Ash's rivals all looked over to see Ash dashing towards them.

"Heyo, Ash!" Tierno said smoothly, showing off some of his dance moves. Trevor greeted Ash by taking a picture of him with his camera.

Tierno immediately noticed Serena as she made her way over to the group of friends. His eyes became stamped with hearts as he knelt on one knee and held Serena's hand gently. "Wowzo! Serena, you're looking on fire!"

Serena giggled at Tierno's compliment. "Thanks, Tierno. How have you been?"

Ash's friends and rivals merrily conversed and caught up with each other, since the last time that they had been together was at Professor Sycamore's summer camp.

All of a sudden, the loudspeakers placed throughout the stadium gave out a screech. Everyone turned their attention to the large screen in the center of the stadium's registration lobby. The screen turned from black to static, and eventually revealed two familiar faces.

"Welcome to the Kalos League, fellow trainers and aspiring Pokemon Masters!" Diantha and Steven enthusiastically declared.

Diantha, the champion of the Kalos League, took over the microphone. "We thank you all for your patience. The preliminary rounds will be underway in just a few moments. Preceding this, of course, is the matchmaking procedure!"

The large screen changed to display an enormous grid with branches that linked to each other. Within each box was the name and photo of a trainer.

Tierno looked over at Trevor. "Heyo, looks like we're matched against each other right from the get-go!"

Trevor looked at the ground, anxious about the upcoming match.

Ash and Sawyer were both matched against random trainers.

"These are the matches," Diantha concluded. "Please make your way into your designated areas. The preliminary rounds will begin shortly!"

With Diantha's announcement, the four trainers all circled up and placed their hands in the circle. Tierno, the loudest and jazziest, spoke up. "Alright everyone, good luck and fight with all your spirit!" He then looked at Trevor. "No hard feelings, right?"

Trevor nodded. With that, the four trainers split off into each of their designated areas. Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and Dawn made their way into the central battlefield's spectator stands.

Equal amounts of excitement and anxiousness filled the atmosphere as the preliminary rounds went under way. Bonnie squealed at almost every Pokemon she saw, immediately calling them cute. Clemont was observing the many strategies that the competitors were using. Dawn and Serena were both nervously awaiting Ash's round.

As the sun set, the preliminary rounds were finally over. Ash, his friends, and his rivals all regrouped at the central lobby of the stadium after the final battle concluded.

Trevor walked out of the room with a gloomy expression across his face. Tierno had his arm around Trevor's shoulder, trying his best to cheer him up. Sawyer and Ash were both victorious against their opponents, and they were fired up and ready for the next day.

"Well, I'm eliminated from the competition now," Trevor groaned. Ash patted Trevor's back and reassured him that there would always be another chance. Trevor cheered up a little bit after Ash's encouragement.

* * *

The following morning, Ash and Pikachu sprang out of bed and headed straight for the Lumiose Stadium. Ash paced nervously, antsy for the second preliminary round pairings.

When Clemont, Serena, Dawn, and Bonnie finally caught up with Ash, Dawn exploded. "ASH! YOU FORGOT TO EAT BREAKFAST!" Piplup loyally puffed up his chest in agreement with his trainer.

"Oh, now that you mention it, you're right! Hahaha…sorry guys, I was just so nervous." Ash scratched the back of his head.

Serena walked up to Ash and softly punched his arm. "You ought to take better care of yourself! There is no excuse for skipping breakfast!"

"Sorry!" Ash apologized profusely. Just then, Trevor, Tierno, and Sawyer all entered the stadium. Ash's three rivals all made their way over to Ash and his friends once they caught sight of them.

"Well, since everyone is here so early, I think it's safe to assume that we all haven't eaten breakfast yet!" Clemont observed. "How about I fix us up something to chow down on while we wait for the announcement?"

Everyone gladly accepted Clemont's generous offer as they made their way towards the stadium's recreation area.

Tierno had finished his third sandwich when the loudspeakers gave a shrill screech. Diantha once again spoke on the microphone.

"Good morning, everyone!" Diantha greeted. "I hope you all had a good night's rest. Today will be the second round of preliminaries! Those who were victorious in yesterday's competition will be matched with new opponents today. Without further ado, here are today's pairings!"

Televisions that were installed all throughout the stadium flashed on and displayed the pairings for the second round of preliminaries.

Ash had his mouth full of bread and nearly choked when he slammed his hands onto the table. Tierno simultaneously slammed his hands onto the table and turned his head to face Ash.

"Looks like it's time for us to battle it out," Tierno exclaimed.

"Yrh!" Ash challenged, his speech muffled by the bread. He swallowed. "Bring it on!"

Ash grabbed another loaf of bread before he readied himself to sprint off into his designated area. However, another announcement stopped him in his tracks.

"The second preliminary round will start in one hour," Diantha added. "Please report to your designated areas in one hour's time!"

With that, Ash sat back down on the table. But, he was still fired up and ready to go. Likewise, Tierno was doing some jumping jacks and stretching out in preparation for his battle with Ash.

Sawyer was the lucky one, since he was not matched with any of his rivals. "Looks like I'm matched with another random trainer."

Tierno slyly approached Serena as she finished up her muffin. "So, Serena, when Ash and I battle, who will you be cheering for?" Tierno winked at Serena.

"I'll be cheering for Ash!" Serena sincerely exclaimed without hesitation. Tierno's excited face fell, and he dropped to the floor in disappointment.

"Oh, why do you have to be so cold?" Tierno mumbled to himself as he rolled back and forth on the ground.

Once the friends had finished breakfast, they helped Clemont clean up. In the blink of an eye, one hour soon elapsed. The loudspeakers gave another shrill screech as Diantha announced that it was time for the second preliminary round to go underway.

Sawyer said his goodbyes and wished his friends good luck as he scampered over to his designated section. Meanwhile, Clemont, Serena, Bonnie, Dawn, and Trevor headed to the spectator stands as Ash and Tierno walked over to their own designated area.

"Let's have a good battle," Ash confidently said to Tierno.

"No hard feelings," Tierno replied back.

With that, the two friends gallantly walked onto the battlefield. Ash and Tierno both stood in their respective spots as the crowd of thousands thunderously cheered on the competitors.

When the referee signaled, the crowd eventually quiet down. "Both sides are allowed to use up to six Pokemon each. Both competitors are allowed to make substitutions."

Tierno and Ash stared intently into each other's eyes as they waited for the referee to signal the start of the battle. "Battle begin!" the referee exclaimed.

"Alright, Pikachu I choose you!" Ash shouted as his partner scampered from his shoulder onto the battlefield.

"Okay Raichu, time to roll!" Tierno chanted as he danced along to his own beat.

The battle got off to a rocky start for Tierno. Pikachu was too agile for Raichu to keep up with, especially when Raichu was dancing and following a beat whilst battling. Tierno began to get unnerved because Raichu hadn't landed a single hit on Pikachu.

"Raichu! Take focus and use Focus Blast!" Tierno commanded. As Raichu began charging up the powerful attack, Pikachu began to run straight towards Raichu. "Now!" Tierno shouted.

"Dodge!" Ash yelled as Pikachu swiftly turned to the side and evaded the powerful blast. "Now, Pikachu! Iron Tail!"

Serena, who was paying very close attention to Ash's battle, remembered the time when Ash almost confessed to her but said "Iron Tail" instead. Her complexion reddened when she was reminded about how Ash had recently called her his friend.

Raichu was unable to battle after Pikachu's attack. Tierno then called out Politoed, who wrapped things up against Ash's Pikachu, who was already exhausted. Ash called out Noivern to battle Politoed, but Noivern was taken out by a direct hit from Politoed's Ice Beam. Hawlucha was next in line, and he settled the score with a Flying Press.

Tierno called out Ludicolo, who disoriented Hawlucha with its Double Team. Hawlucha couldn't hit the right target and was finished off with a Scald attack. Ash recalled Hawlucha and sent out his Goodra. Goodra used Bide and took hit after hit until a red aura surrounded the dragon-type. An enormous beam that was almost as wide as the entire battlefield obliterated all of Ludicolo's clones and took out Ludicolo as well. However, Goodra also gave out from the burn that it had received from Ludicolo's Scald attack.

The battlefield cleared as both trainers recalled their Pokemon. Ash summoned Talonflame as his second to last Pokemon, while Tierno chose Hitmontop. Hitmontop was able to endure Flame Charge after Flame Charge with his Detect, but eventually Talonflame defeated Hitmontop with a super effective Brave Bird attack. The recoil, however, left Talonflame exhausted.

Tierno seized the opportunity and called out his last Pokemon, Blastoise. Blastoise made quick work of Talonflame with a precisely aimed Water Pulse. With Talonflame unable to battle, Ash and Tierno were both left with one Pokemon remaining.

"Come on, Ash! What are you waiting for?" Tierno challenged.

Ash, equally immersed in the battle as Tierno was, reached for his last, final Pokeball. _Greninja, I'm counting on you._

An eerie silence fell upon the entire stadium as Ash and Greninja and Tierno and Blastoise all stood their ground, no one moving a muscle.

Then, as if on cue, Tierno and Blastoise began to dance in sync. "Alright, Ash. I applaud you for getting this far, but this is where it ends!" Their dance ended when Blastoise and Tierno both completed a snazzy spin. Tierno's expression changed from one of a lax dancer to a serious fighter. "Blastoise, Mega Evolve!"

Bright streams of light trailed from Tierno's Mega Bracelet to Blastoise's Mega Anklet. A bright pink-orange light engulfed Blastoise as it changed form. A bright light flashed the stadium, and when the light dissipated, Blastoise had transformed into its Mega Evolved state.

Ash slyly smirked when he saw Mega Blastoise and Tierno do the boogie. However, he lost his composure when he felt for his Mega Bracelet and realized that it was not around his wrist. _Oh no._

Greninja seemed to notice Ash falter. Unfortunately, Tierno did, too. Tierno seized the opportunity as Ash was dozing off. "Blastoise! Dragon Pulse!" Mega Blastoise, with its Mega Launcher ability, fired a devastating pulse of blue, orange, and pink flames that resembled a dragon directly at Greninja.

Greninja was sent high into the air from the resulting explosion. A loud boom and the resulting dust cloud snapped Ash out of his trance. _I can't be hesitating right now,_ Ash thought to himself. _I have to trust in Greninja's power. I believe that we can push through this._

Greninja landed on his two hind feet. Noticing that his trainer had snapped out of his trance, Greninja nodded his head assuringly at Ash.

"Greninja, you can still battle, right?" Ash shouted. Greninja nodded his head, signaling yes to his trainer. Ash and Greninja chanted and tucked their elbows into their sides in sync. A column of water spiraled around the ninja frog as he took a form similar to that of when he had fought against Abomasnow at the Snowbelle Gym.

"Blastoise, use Dragon Pulse one more time!" Tierno commanded. Blastoise was readying its three cannons to fire the devastating attack one more time. However, Blastoise looked confused when it couldn't see its target anywhere.

"Greninja! Use Aerial Ace!" Ash shouted. Greninja's right leg became coated with a white light as he appeared and forcefully kicked Blastoise across the face. Greninja rebounded back to Ash as Blastoise was sent flying off the opposite direction.

"Blastoise!" Tierno shouted in concern. The turtle Pokemon stood up and wiped its face with its hand. "Aura Sphere!"

Blastoise closed its eyes as it channeled a blue sphere of aura. Then, it opened its eyes while simultaneously launching the attack. Greninja dashed around the battlefield in an attempt to dodge the attack, but the sphere relentlessly followed the ninja frog.

"Use Cut!" Ash exclaimed. Greninja put his hands together and then pulled out a glowing white blade of light, splitting the Aura Sphere into two. The impact, however, still sent Greninja flying back from the recoil.

"Okay, Blastoise, let's wrap this up. Use Dragon Pulse while using Rapid Spin!" Tierno shouted as he dropped to the ground, joining Blastoise in its Rapid Spin. The large turtle Pokemon began to spin on its shell while firing a pulse of colorful flame all throughout the battlefield. It looked like there was no escape from the combo attack.

To Tierno's surprise, Ash countered the combo attack with a combo attack of his own. With a combination of Greninja's Double Team and Water Shuriken, the multiple clones of Greninja easily eliminated the pulse attack that was aimed at them.

"Wow, Ash, you're good," Tierno complimented his rival.

"Thanks, Tierno, you're good as well," Ash returned the remark. "But I think it's about time to wrap things up. Greninja, use Cut!"

The ninja frog and all of its Double Team clones simultaneously charged at Tierno's Blastoise. They all drew out white blades of light and all converged on Blastoise, hacking and slicing at the turtle Pokemon.

"Finish it up with Water Shuriken!" Ash yelled. The real Greninja jumped high above all of the other clones. Synchronous with Ash, Greninja placed his two palms together as a ninja star shaped disk of water formed between his hands.

"Jah!" Greninja shouted as he fired the devastating attack at Blastoise. A loud explosion sent a plume of dust covering the battlefield. The spectators and both competitors held their breath as they waited for the dust to settle. When the air cleared, only one Pokemon was left standing.

Steven snatched the microphone from Diantha and announced, "Blastoise is unable to battle, and Greninja wins. Thus, the victor is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"

Tierno thanked his Pokemon and recalled Blastoise back into its Pokeball. Greninja's veil of water disappeared as he returned to his normal form. Ash ran onto the battlefield, praising Greninja for a job well done.

Tierno made his way to the middle of the battlefield. "That was an amazing battle, Ash. Great job!"

Ash smiled brightly at his rival. "Thanks, Tierno! You and your Pokemon were awesome, too!"

The two friends shook hands as the crowd rose into an uproar for the amazing battle that they had just witnessed.

* * *

Later that day, Ash and his friends regrouped at the stadium's central lobby. Sawyer was happy and excited that he had won, and that he qualified for the semifinals. The friends congratulated Ash for his victory against Tierno. None of the friends had hard feelings for each other.

Steven suddenly made his way over towards the group of friends. "Hello there, everyone." Steven then introduced himself to Tierno and Trevor, who were meeting the Hoenn Champion for the first time. "How have you all been doing?"

Clemont politely responded, "We have been well. Thank you for your concern, and also thank you very much for your help during the Team Flare incident."

Sawyer cut into Clemont's greeting. "Steven! I haven't seen you in forever!" Steven looked confused as he didn't recognize Sawyer at first. However, when Sawyer pulled out his notebook and the picture of Steven within it, Steven instantly recognized the boy.

"Long time no see, Sawyer," Steven acknowledged. "Ah, and Clemont, no problem at all; it was a pleasure working with you and your friends to save Zygarde." Steven looked over at Bonnie's purse and noticed the red Zygarde core inside it. "This little one is still with you guys, isn't it?"

Bonnie nodded her head. "Yeah! Squishy decided to continue traveling with us!" Bonnie then looked perplexedly at the champion. "Why are you here anyways, Steven?"

"Ah, that's right Bonnie. Thanks for reminding me," Steven replied. "Ash, I wanted to talk to you about your Greninja."

Ash looked nervously at the champion. "Uhh…I-I mean, sure, I guess…"

"How did your Greninja Mega Evolve in the middle of the battle when you did not have your Mega Bracelet?" Steven questioned.

"I don't really know," Ash answered. "But what I do know is that I kept on believing in Greninja, and that when I kept on believing and trusting that we would win, I suddenly felt like I was fusing with Greninja. The next thing I knew, I saw everything in the battle as Greninja saw it, and I felt everything that Greninja felt."

"Interesting…" Steven remarked. "Either way, that was an amazing battle you two had, Tierno and Ash. Oh, and Sawyer, your Sceptile really outshined your opponent's Pokemon!"

Sawyer's eyes brightened at the champion's kind words. Ash, Tierno, and Sawyer all thanked the champion for his compliments before Steven turned around and made his way back to the judging room.

"That was a long day," Ash sighed. "Let's go get something to eat; I'm starving!" Pikachu agreed, as did all of Ash's other Pokemon as they emerged from their Pokeballs.

Clemont laughed at Ash's unchanging personality. "Alright then, follow me and I'll fix us up something good to eat!"

The friends followed Clemont to the recreation area of the stadium as the sun began to set in the distant horizon.

* * *

Poor Trevor didn't really stand much of a chance in the Kalos League... Maybe he should just stick with his passion and what he's actually good at (photography). Anyways, the showdown between the man who can dance and the man who can't is what this chapter is all about! An old rivalry is settled and the result forged a stronger friendship between Ash and Tierno. For all the fellow Amourshippers out there, I know that these battles may seem very devoid of any Amourshipping content, but please bear with me as I have to include these for the plot development. Worry not, however, because the following chapters will show much more development between Ash and Serena, for better or for worse. That's all for now. Next time: Chapter 17 - The Victor of the League! Toodles!


	17. Chapter 17 - The Victor of the League

The following content contains Amourshipping. If you are offended by such content, please turn away now. Reader's discretion is advised. I do not own Pokemon, although I often wish that I did so I could pair those two lovebirds (Ash and Serena) together already... This is my first time writing a fanfiction. Any and all critiques will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 17 - The Victor of the League**

Fireworks, parades, and other festivities filled Lumiose City as the day of the semifinals for the Kalos League finally approached. Ash and Sawyer had both passed the preliminary rounds, so the friendly rivals were both expecting that they would be matched with each other sooner or later.

Clemont and Dawn were cleaning up after breakfast while Bonnie was lying down on the grass, playing and talking with Dedenne and Squishy. Ash was busy stretching and pepping up his team for the upcoming semifinals round.

Serena slowly approached Ash with her hands, presumably holding an object, behind her back. "Hey Ash, I thought that it would be best to remind you to bring this with you into your next competition." She handed him his Mega Bracelet.

Ash turned around to face Serena. "Oh, right! Thanks, Serena!" Ash cheerfully exclaimed as he received the object from Serena.

"No problem," Serena smiled. Then, she looked at the ground, then back at Ash, as she nervously shuffled about. "Hey, Ash?"

Ash, who had just finished attaching his Mega Bracelet onto his wrist, looked at Serena. "Yes?"

Serena felt her cheeks blush slightly from Ash's direct eye contact. "I just wanted to tell you one last important thing before you went into your semifinals." Serena took a deep breath as she placed her hands over her chest. "Never give up until the end!"

Ash's eyes slowly widened as he came to realize that Serena had remembered what he had once told her when they were children. "Yeah, definitely. Thanks for reminding me, Serena! And thank you for supporting me all the way here. I wouldn't be here without your help."

Serena sincerely smiled back at Ash. Noticing Serena's genuine optimism endowed Ash with a sense of vigor, strength, and confidence that he had never felt before. His heartbeat picked up tempo. _What's this empowered feeling I have?_

Clemont, Dawn, and Bonnie regrouped with Ash and Serena just as it was announced that the semifinal round would start promptly.

"Let's head over to the stadium's central lobby now," Clemont recommended. The five friends made their way into the room and saw Tierno, Trevor, and Sawyer all situated at the recliners before the giant TV screen. Tierno was busy trying to ease the tension and nervousness of Sawyer.

Ash made his way over to his rival. "Hey Sawyer!"

Sawyer immediately looked up to see his rival right before him. "Hey, Ash…"

Ash laid his hand on Sawyer's shoulder. "Relax, you'll be fine, Sawyer. You're a powerful trainer; I know that much from my battles with you."

Sawyer's eyes suddenly lit up as he regained his battle spirit. "You're right, Ash. Thank you!"

Just then, the giant TV screen lit up, displaying the matches for the semifinal round. Sawyer gulped when he saw who he was up against. "Ash! It's you versus me!"

Ash looked over at Sawyer and nodded his head. "Yeah. Let's give this battle all we got!"

"Of course! I'll show you all of the experience that my Pokemon and I have acquired throughout our journey in Kalos!" Sawyer exclaimed as he grasped his notebook tightly, nervousness replaced by a rush of competitiveness.

"We'll catch ya guys later!" Tierno exclaimed as he led everyone but Ash and Sawyer to the spectator stands.

"Good luck!" the group of friends shouted out as they made their way into the stadium.

Ash and Sawyer faced each other and looked at each other directly in the eyes. "Alright. Let's do this," they declared in sync as they made their way towards their assigned area.

"Ladies and gentlemen! We thank you all once again for being such an amazing audience! And let us not forget about our wonderful and hardworking contestants!" Diantha and Steven announced on the microphone. "With that being said, let us delve straight into our semifinal rounds! May the best trainers come out on top!"

The crowd broke into a thunderous cheer as the two champions sat down below the Kalos League torch.

The referee stepped onto the center of the battlefield as he raised his arms parallel to the ground. "Our first contestants for the semifinal round are Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Sawyer of the Hoenn region!"

Ash and Sawyer both made their way onto the battlefield from opposite entrances. As the competitors stepped onto the battlefield, the referee briefly outlined the rules of the competition for the audience. Then, the battle was called to begin.

"Ash! Let's go!" Sawyer fiercely challenged. Sawyer determinedly reached for his first Pokeball and tossed it into the air in front of him. "Slurpuff, please battle!"

Ash reached for his first Pokeball as well. As Ash tossed his Pokeball directly into the air in front of him, he shouted, "Talonflame, I choose you!"

A heated, suspenseful atmosphere filled the stadium as everyone held their breath. Ash broke the dead silence when he uttered the first command. "Talonflame, use Flame Charge!"

As Talonflame became engulfed in flames and dove straight for Slurpuff, Sawyer retaliated, "Slurpuff, please use Cotton Guard!"

Slurpuff conjured a flurry of puffy, sticky clouds from its mouth. Talonflame, unable to stop because of its enormous momentum, dove straight into the sticky substance, being ensnared in the puffy white clouds.

"Now, use Electro Ball!" Sawyer commanded. Slurpuff launched a ball of lightning directly at Talonflame, who was trapped and helpless. The attack scored a direct hit and knocked Talonflame back from the resulting explosion.

"Talonflame!" Ash cried out in concern. The fire bird Pokemon shook off the dust and immediately flew high into the air once more. "Alright, fly low and parallel to the ground towards Slurpuff!"

"Use Fairy Wind!" Sawyer yelled. Slurpuff emitted a sparkling pink gust from its mouth at Talonflame, but Talonflame seemed to glide straight through the attack.

"Now! Use Flame Charge!" Ash exclaimed as Talonflame directly struck Slurpuff with the devastating fire type attack.

After rebounding from the attack, Talonflame looked considerably quicker than before. "Flame Charge, one more time!" Ash commanded.

Sawyer waited until Talonflame came within close proximity to Slurpuff. "Please counter it with Play Rough!"

Slurpuff turned Talonflame's momentum against itself as it jumped above the bird Pokemon and slammed it onto the ground.

Ash was visibly distressed. He was holding onto the front of his hat, tilting it down such that it covered his eyes. But, he knew that Talonflame was not yet defeated. "Talonflame, up and high into the sky!"

Talonflame escaped the pinning weight of Slurpuff and flew straight into the sun.

"Prepare to defend with Cotton Guard!" Sawyer pleaded.

"Now, Talonflame! Dive straight down and use Brave Bird while spinning!" Talonflame took a nosedive directly at Slurpuff, who had already conjured a powerful cotton shield.

"I see Ash's strategy," Clemont commented. "He's counting on the speed boost of his prior Flame Charges and he's using gravity to gain the maximum speed to penetrate the Cotton Guard attack."

Sure enough, Talonflame plunged straight through Slurpuff's defense and struck the fairy type head on with the brutal attack. Slurpuff lay on the ground, fainted. As Talonflame rebounded back to Ash, blue streaks of electricity arced from its body due to recoil damage. Then, Talonflame fell down to the ground, also fainted.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle!" the referee announced. Ash and Sawyer both recalled their Pokemon into their Pokeballs.

"Nice fight!" Ash called to Sawyer.

"Thanks! You too!" Sawyer replied.

Ash then sent Noivern into battle while Sawyer summoned his Clawitzer. Ash commanded Noivern to take several Acrobatic attacks and tried to utilize Noivern's speed to his advantage, but Clawitzer's Ice Beam attack always managed to counter Noivern's head-on assault.

"Very well," Ash said, "Noivern! Use Boomblast!"

"Use Dragon Pulse!" Sawyer retorted.

The ultrasonic waves and the colorful pulse of fire collided in the center of the battlefield. At first, neither attack seemed to give way, but eventually Clawitzer's Dragon Pulse overpowered Noivern's Boomblast. The dragon-type attack scored a super effective hit on Noivern and knocked Ash's second Pokemon out.

"That's Clawitzer's ability, Mega Launcher," Clemont observed. "It increases the power of pulse and aura type attacks, which is why it was able to overpower Noivern's Boomblast."

Ash chose Hawlucha as his next Pokemon, who also had trouble getting close to Clawitzer because of Clawitzer's Ice Beam attack. This, coupled with Hawlucha's flashy battle style, revealed that things were not looking good for Ash.

"Please use Crabhammer!" Sawyer shouted.

 _There's my chance,_ Ash thought. "Dodge it! Now, use Flying Press!"

Hawlucha slammed right onto Clawitzer with his chest, knocking the water type back. Sawyer then commanded Clawitzer to fire another Ice Beam. Ash, however, had told Hawlucha to ascend and use High Jump Kick, using Hawlucha's greater altitude for greater speed.

The Ice Beam struck Hawlucha's knee, which caused a layer of ice to gradually form over it. However, Hawlucha kept pressing the attack, which eventually fainted Sawyer's Clawitzer in a powerful Ice High Jump Kick combo attack.

The intense, heated battle pressed on for what seemed to be forever. Ash's Hawlucha, Pikachu, and Goodra faced off against Sawyer's Aegislash and Salamence. Aegislash's ghost typing rendered Hawlucha mostly ineffective, and it knocked the fighting Pokemon out of the battle.

However, Pikachu retaliated and eventually defeated Aegislash with a barrage of Thunderbolts and Electro Balls. Because Aegislash had used Sacred Sword on Pikachu, Pikachu's ability Static paralyzed Aegislash, impairing it and making it easier for Pikachu to finish off.

Sawyer's Salamence easily overpowered Pikachu, who was worn out from his previous battle with Aegislash. This pitted Goodra with Salamence, creating a dragon showdown for the audience to spectate.

Ash and Sawyer both began their dragon battle with Dragon Pulse. However, in terms of sheer power, Salamence was superior to Goodra and overpowered Goodra's attack.

 _Salamence may be more powerful in terms of attack, but Goodra makes up for its low offense with incredible defense…_ Ash thought to himself. "Use Bide!"

Sawyer chuckled naively at Ash's command. "Ash! That's like throwing away your victory, allowing Salamence to land two direct hits on your Goodra!"

 _Don't take Goodra so lightly,_ Ash thought. _I believe in Goodra, and I know very well that Goodra can withstand whatever Salamence has to offer._

Salamence launched another Dragon Pulse followed by a Dragon Claw, two super effective moves that nearly fainted Goodra. However, Goodra clung on, and a red aura was beginning to replace the previous white glow surrounding it.

"Now! Unleash your Bide!" Ash shouted at the top of his lungs. A massive white beam of light blinded the entire stadium and engulfed Salamence whole. When the light died down, Salamence was unable to battle.

Sawyer recalled Salamence and reached for his last Pokeball, simultaneously reaching for his notebook. _Sceptile, in this book is all the experience that you and I have obtained… and something more…_ "Sceptile! Please stand by for battle!"

Ash recalled Goodra into its Pokeball, understanding that his Pokemon needed and deserved a break. He then reached for his last Pokeball and held it close to his heart. _Greninja. When you were just a little Froakie, you chose me as your trainer. With you and all my other friends, we have made it this far into the Kalos League…So I want you to help me achieve our dream!_

"Greninja! I choose you!" Ash passionately declared, tossing the Pokeball in front of him. The ninja frog emerged from the Pokeball and stood motionlessly on the battlefield, concentrating on his power.

There had always been a rivalry between Sawyer and Ash, Sceptile and Greninja. Today was the day to decide where that rivalry would be settled.

"Sceptile! Please use Dragon Pulse!" Sawyer exclaimed.

"Greninja, counter it with Water Shuriken!" Ash retorted.

Greninja fired a volley of water ninja stars that collided evenly with Sceptile's Dragon Pulse. Both Pokemon remained unfazed after the explosion that resulted from the colliding attacks.

 _Looks like I have no other choice but to settle this quickly._ Shota reached into the last page of his notebook and took out a watch with a keystone fitted into it. He wrapped it around his wrist and then pumped his fist into the air. "Sceptile! Let's show them our immense bond! Mega Evolve!"

Sceptile emerged with a new, slicker form; it looked much more powerful as well. Ash turned his hat around.

"Sceptile, please use Leaf Blade!" Sawyer commanded. Before Ash could even blink, Greninja had already been knocked back and was on the ground.

 _What was that insane speed? I couldn't see anything…_ Ash worriedly thought to himself. "Greninja! You can still go, right?" Greninja nodded his head reassuringly to his trainer. "Alright then, use Water Shuriken!"

The volley of water ninja stars flew directly at Sceptile, but the Pokemon and its Trainer both stood stationary and let the attack land. Sceptile was completely unfazed, unscratched almost, from the attack.

"What's going on? Why didn't the attack do anything?' Serena asked Clemont in concern.

"I believe that when Sceptile Mega Evolves, it gains a dual dragon-grass typing! Which means that water attacks are extremely ineffective against it…" Clemont replied.

Bonnie, Dawn, and Serena looked on with concern for Ash. Tierno and Trevor were smiling slyly at seeing their friend Sawyer toying around with Ash.

"Alright Sceptile, please wrap this up with Leaf Storm!" A blizzard of leaves erupted in a twister from Sceptile's tail and began to envelope Greninja, carrying the ninja frog Pokemon high into the air. The attack battered Greninja left and right, up and down, all throughout his body.

Ash clenched his teeth and fists as he watched helplessly. _Is it over already? No, it can't be. Greninja and I have worked so hard since I had just begun my journey in Kalos._ Ash looked at his mega bracelet. _This is symbolic of our bond._

All of a sudden, Ash felt sharp cuts and pains all throughout his body. _I can feel what Greninja is feeling! This is it, Greninja. We must fight on, together as one!_ All of a sudden, a torrent of water began to spiral around Greninja, cancelling out the effects of the Leaf Storm attack. Greninja began to assume a new form within his veil of water.

"I've been waiting for this, Ash!" Sawyer exclaimed. "The real battle starts now!"

"You bet!" Ash shouted back at his rival.

Greninja and Sceptile were now evenly matched in terms of speed and power. Aerial Ace and Leaf Blades collided endlessly with each other as if the two Pokemon were dueling.

Suddenly, Sawyer asked for Sceptile to fire a Solarbeam as a last resort to finish the battle as soon as possible. Ash prepared a counter by asking Greninja to use Double Team.

The two rivals stared each other intensely as the wind wafted through them and their Pokemon. The buds on Sceptile's back were now glowing as brightly as the sun.

"Now! Sceptile, use Solarbeam!" Sceptile released an enormous ray of light, seemingly obliterating all of Greninja's clones and causing Ash to shield his eyes from the blinding light. Still, Sawyer swore he saw a grin across Ash's face.

When Sawyer refocused on the battlefield, he couldn't believe what he saw. A mass of Greninja's clones, all using Cut in a group effort, split Sceptile's Solarbeam attack into two rays, diverting it around the real Greninja.

"Now! Finish it up with Aerial Ace!" Greninja blinked across the battlefield with such agility that Sawyer and Sceptile couldn't react. The ninja frog's hands glowed a bright white as he swiftly rammed them into Sceptile's body. The force of the attack immediately sent the grass type flying off the battlefield and smashing into and denting the wall below the spectator stands.

Sceptile reverted to its original form, having fainted from battle. "Sceptile is unable to battle!" the referee exclaimed. "Which means that Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town will be advancing to the final round!"

The crowd cheered loudly for the two rivals who met up in the center of the battlefield and shook hands. As Ash and Sawyer left the battlefield and headed back to the central lounge to meet up with their friends, the next two semifinal contestants entered the battlefield. Ash could have sworn that he saw a familiar man with a sky blue scarf and black clothing enter the stadium.

* * *

The sun rose early at dawn the next morning. Unlike the usual morning circumstances, Serena was the first to wake up.

Now, Serena hadn't woken up by mere chance. A muffled mumbling from across the room had woken her up. Serena silently slipped out of bed, traced the source of the sound, and tiptoed over to Ash's bed, making caution not to startle Bonnie, Clemont, Dawn, or Ash himself.

Serena gazed at Ash dreamily as he rolled around his bed, dangling his feet off the edge. _He's sleeping so peacefull-_ Serena's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by another muffled sleeptalk from Ash, whose face was buried in his pillow.

"Hooray…I won…the Kalos League…haha great job, buddy…" Ash shifted around once more. "Clemont, I have to…go back to Kanto…but I don't want to leave…by herself…"

Serena held her hands over her mouth to contain her surprised gasp. _Ash is going to leave after the Kalos League is over?! But he doesn't want to leave who by herself? Me? M-m-Miette?!_ Serena turned a pale shade of pink.

All of a sudden, Ash jolted straight up from his bed like a zombie out of a grave. He was gasping for air and he had a desperate look on his face. He darted his eyes across the room, noticing that a very pink Serena was standing near his bed, observing him.

"Oh, thank Arceus you're still here," Ash exhaled. His tense face gradually relaxed as he realized that Serena was standing before him. "What are you doing up so early, Serena?"

"I-I-I…uhm, I…" Serena paused, unable to think of anything after blowing her cover. _Might as well tell him the truth._ "Hey, Ash, were you dreaming about winning the Kalos League?"

Ash's eyes became bewildered. "What?! Serena, when did you become a psychic?"

Serena giggled. "You were sleep talking, and you woke me up."

Ash apologized profusely. Serena looked down on the floor. "Say, Ash, why did you wake up looking so worried, scared almost? Is something bothering you? Are you not feeling well?"

Ash was caught off guard by the sudden question. "N-no! Everything is perfectly fine!" he stammered. Ash's cheeks were slightly red.

 _What's he hiding from me?_ Serena wondered perplexedly. "Today is the big day, Ash. It's your final competition at the Kalos League! Aren't you going to get ready and pump your Pokemon up as usual?"

Ash pulled his blanket to the side and slipped out of his bed. "No." He moved off the bed and stood up, which woke Pikachu up.

"Cha!" the little electric mouse greeted Ash and Serena. He scampered onto the desk next to Ash's bed, grabbing Ash's hat by his mouth and offering it to his trainer.

"Thanks, buddy!" Ash exclaimed, fitting his hat to his head. He then looked back at Serena, continuing where he had left off. "I figured that there's no need to stress over the final competition. When I battle today, I'm bring everything that I've acquired from my journey in Kalos with me. All the struggles and successes of my Pokemon, all the support of my friends and rivals, and most of all…"

Ash stopped his sentence short as he fixed his eyes on Serena's. Serena batted her eyes to the side, blushing from Ash's direct eye contact. Ash laid his hand on Serena's head, ruffling her honey-colored hair. "And most of all, I'm bring with me your optimism, guidance, and spirit."

By now, Serena had become redder than a Cheri Berry. Pikachu looked at Ash disapprovingly, shaking his head at his owner's obliviousness. Across the room, Bonnie had also woken up, and she was sneakily smirking at Serena and Ash.

Gradually, the friends woke up one after another, until everyone was up and ready to go. Clemont was particularly surprised at Ash's lax attitude, despite the upcoming final round of the Kalos League later on in the day.

"Are you feeling okay, Ash?" Clemont interrogated.

Dawn, also noticing her old friend's lack of his usual enthusiasm before a battle, pressed Ash with the same question. Ash reassured his friends that he was alright, though they hardly believed his words.

The five friends met up with Trevor, Tierno, and Sawyer in their usual meeting spot in the stadium's central lobby. Even they were intrigued by Ash's calm attitude before the battle.

"Did Sawyer make you go crazy from that super intense battle?" Tierno jokingly questioned.

"No, I don't think so, but I'll admit that it was an amazing battle," Ash replied.

The friends waited for the usual procedures to take place. Eventually, Diantha and Steven were on the loudspeakers announcing the names of competitors who made it to the final round.

The large screen in the room illuminated to show the entire matchmaking grid. At the very top of the grid were two people whose silhouettes were visible.

"And the two finalists of the Kalos League are…" Diantha and Steven announced. The silhouettes were replaced by color images of the two finalists. One of them was Ash.

Ash eyed his opponent. He immediately recognized the face of the person. It was the same man he saw yesterday after his battle with Sawyer; he was the man with the sky blue scarf and black clothing.

"Ash Ketchum and Alain!" Diantha and Steven revealed. After the announcement of the two finalists, everyone who had come to the stadium filed into the spectator stands. Ash's friends and rivals all turned towards the moving crowd, following them into the center of the stadium and waving goodbye to Ash whilst wishing him good luck.

Ash stood there, frozen from the revelation of his opponent. _I've never managed to beat his Mega Charizard before. Not even the last time we battled._

Serena hadn't followed the rest of the group. She noticed that Ash looked a little concerned. "Ash," Serena whispered, getting Ash's attention.

She fixated her eyes on Ash's, and the two looked at each other as their breathing aligned. Serena's hands reached to her collarbone as her fingers fidgeted around.

Ash stared at Serena as she laced her fingers in and out of her collar. Once Serena had finished what she was doing, she refocused her eyes on Ash and took a deep breath.

"Ash, hold out your arm." Serena hesitantly commanded. Ash was astonished at Serena's sudden demand; however, without hesitation, Ash stuck his left arm forward. Serena delicately tied the blue ribbon snugly around Ash's wrist, finishing it up with a little bowtie on the top.

Serena passionately stared Ash in the eyes. "Do your best out there. And always remember: _**never give up until the end!**_ " With that, Serena turned around and ran after her other friends until Ash eventually lost sight of her in the crowd.

Ash looked down at the blue ribbon that was tied around his left wrist and saw that it complemented the Mega Bracelet that he had around his right wrist. Ash then realized that the blue ribbon was the one that he had given Serena under the Pledging Tree.

He smiled to himself, placing his left hand and the ribbon over his heart. He inaudibly spoke a few words as Pikachu perked his ears up and down while watching Ash silently whisper to himself.

Ash stood upright and faced the bright sunlight filtering into the central lobby from the center of the stadium. "Alright, Pikachu. Let's go."

* * *

Ash, imbued with a sense of confidence from the ribbon wrapped around his left arm, gallantly strided into the center of the stadium and onto the main battlefield. On the opposite side of the stadium, Alain made his entrance as he, too, walked onto the battlefield.

The crowd fell into an uproar as the two finalists stood unwavering on the battlefield. Through the loudspeaker, Steven and Diantha welcomed all the spectators to the final round of the Kalos League.

As the referee made his way onto the battlefield, the crowd's roaring, shouting, and cheering gradually died down.

"This is the final round of the Kalos League. Both sides are permitted to use up to six Pokemon maximum. Both competitors are allowed to make substitutions." announced the referee.

Before the battle started, Alain boldly addressed Ash and everyone else in the stadium. "I will use only one Pokemon." The crowd gasped in surprise at Alain's bold claim, with some girls squealing over Alain's apparent coolness.

Ash was a trainer who liked to play by fair rules. He was sportsmanlike in battling, and he wouldn't be satisfied if he claimed victory through an uneven means.

"Then I, too, will use only one Pokemon." Ash declared. The crowd broke into another uproar at Ash's compliance to Alain's statement.

The referee hesitated, unsure of what to say. He looked towards the spot below the Kalos League torch, where Steven and Diantha were seated. The two champions nodded their heads, fascinated and curious for the prospective battle.

"This is an extraordinary request, but there are no rules that forbid such a battle. Therefore, let the battle commence!" Diantha announced.

Pikachu looked discouraged from Ash's agreement to Alain's terms of battle. He knew that he wouldn't have a chance to battle in the final round.

"Sorry, buddy. But I wouldn't consider it a victory if I used all six Pokemon against his one Pokemon," Ash apologized profusely, setting Pikachu onto the ground next to him. The electric mouse seemed to understand his trainer, but he still looked disappointed.

"Very well. I choose you as my partner. Charizard, let's go!" Alain tossed a Pokeball into the air in front of him, from which emerged a powerful Charizard with a plated necklace around its neck.

Ash grinned and tilted his hat forward. He reached into his back belt and pulled out a Pokeball. "Greninja, I choose you!" The ninja frog emerged from the Pokeball and stood motionless on the battlefield, concentrating on his powers.

There was a dead silent standstill between the two contestants and their Pokemon. Neither side moved a muscle. A draft wafted throughout the stadium, whipping up some dust and dirt from the battlefield.

The gentle current of air picked up a blade of grass that was on the ground and carried it high into the air to the center the battlefield. The gust dissipated away, leaving the blade of grass to gently flutter down towards the ground. The blade of grass then touched the direct center of the battlefield, in the center of two concentric circles that represented a pokeball.

In that very moment, Greninja and Charizard simultaneously charged at each other and clashed into one another in the center of the battlefield, knocking the blade of grass high into the air from the impact. Another stream of air carried the grass high into the sky.

Greninja and Charizard had their arms locked in a standstill, neither budging towards the other. They simultaneously let go and lept back to their original positions.

"Charizard! Use Flamethrower!" Alain commanded. Charizard conjured a powerful jet of fire from its mouth and hurled it directly at Greninja.

"Deflect it with Water Shuriken!" Ash retaliated. Greninja released a volley of water ninja stars into the jet of fire, nullifying the attack and releasing a cloud of steam.

Charizard came flying out of the steam cloud with enlarged green claws in a surprise attack. Charizard hacked and slashed at Greninja, knocking the ninja frog back. Greninja placed both hands on the ground as he slid to a stop, looking agitated.

"Greninja! Use Double Team!" Greninja immediately blurred out of vision as multiple copies of himself began to fill Ash's side of the battlefield. "Now! Use Water Shuriken!" The clones of Greninja all simultaneously slapped their palms together to form razor sharp disks of water.

"Charizard! Use Blast Burn!" Alain commanded. Charizard slammed its fist into the ground, sending an erupting fissure towards the group of Greninja clones. A massive incendiary burst of flames erupted from underneath the clones, obliterating all of them. Greninja was also hit by the attack and was launched high into the air by the attack.

"Follow it up with Thunder Punch!" Alain shouted. Charizard's fist began to spark with electricity as it flew towards the helpless Greninja in midair. Slamming its fist into Greninja's stomach, Charizard pummeled the ninja frog onto the ground below.

Ash looked desperately at the battlefield and called out to Greninja. Greninja was kneeling on one knee, but he gradually regained his footing and stood up. Ash began to lose his cool at the sight of Greninja being helpless to defend himself and having not landed a single hit on Charizard.

"Alright Greninja!" Ash desperately placed two fingers over his Mega Bracelet. "Let's go! Mega Evolve!" A draft of wind blew through the battlefield as everyone held their breath, waiting for something to happen. However, Greninja showed no response to Ash's command.

 _What's going on?_ Ash thought to himself. Oddly enough, he felt exhausted and out of it. He felt like he was about to pass out in any moment. Greninja looked back at Ash, noticing that something wasn't right.

Ash began to tremble, perhaps from fear, or from exhaustion. Greninja had a glint of disapproval in his eyes. Ash fell to his knees, as everything darkened around him except himself and Greninja. The ground below him began to turn into water. Ash looked on helplessly at Greninja, noticing that the ninja frog had turned around and started walking away.

Every footstep that Greninja took made a ripple that bounced off of Ash and dissipated. The ripple was too weak to reach back to Greninja. Ash closed his eyes and started to tear up. _What's happening? Greninja, maybe I wasn't the right trainer for you after all? Will you leave me like how you left all your other trainers in the past?_

The crowd was in an uproar. Half of the spectators were yelling for Alain to finish the match while Ash was disoriented. The other half held their hands close to their mouth, worried for what had happened to Ash and Greninja.

Serena in particular was leaning over the railings in the front row seats. _Everything that Ash has done with me has led up to now, to this very moment. This is Ash's dream, to become a Pokemon Master._

"Ash!" Serena screamed out, hoping her voice would carry across the massive stadium.

Ash heard a familiar voice in the distance. _Serena?_ The noise become more clear as he opened his eyes. He looked at his two hands which were planted on his thighs. On the right hand, he had a Mega Bracelet. On the left arm, he noticed the blue ribbon that Serena had attached to his wrist earlier.

Ash suddenly came to his senses. _That's right. Never give up until the end. This isn't the end; no, it can't be, not yet. Greninja and I can do much more than this. Much, much more. This isn't the end; it's barely the beginning._

Ash looked up to see Greninja in front of him, holding out a hand to help him up. Ash reached for Greninja's hand with his right hand. As their hands linked, the Mega Bracelets on both the trainer and Pokemon lay right next to each other.

 _I've become too reliant on Greninja's power. I've become too reliant on the support of all my friends. I understand now. I must also be a source of power for all my Pokemon and all my friends as well._ Ash stood back up, the darkness around him fading as he regained vision of the battlefield and the water below him transformed back into solid ground.

The crowd was cheering loudly for both contestants. Alain called out to Ash. "Finally found your bearings, Ash?"

Ash looked up at Alain. "Yeah. Sorry about that. My Pokemon's heart and mine were out of sync. But now they're back, beating at the same tempo."

Alain placed two fingers over his Mega Bracelet. "Keystone, respond to my heart. Beyond evolution-Mega Evolve!" Streams of light poured out of Alain's keystone and Charizard's plated necklace that interconnected with each other. Emerging from the pink orange glow was a black colored Charizard with blue flames.

Ash motioned for Greninja to come close to him. "Greninja. We don't need these. Our bond exceeds such materialistic things." Ash detached the bracelet from Greninja's arm and then removed the one from his own arm as well. He tossed the two bracelets onto the ground behind him, prompting Pikachu to run over and hold onto them.

Ash looked at Greninja as the ninja frog looked right back at his trainer. Both trainer and Pokemon nodded simultaneously. As if their spirits were one, Ash and Greninja made the exact same motions as they tucked their elbows into the sides and yelled out loud.

When Ash opened his eyes, he saw everything in Greninja's point of view. Greninja had now presumed a new form and was covered with a spiraling veil of water.

Ash had no need for commands at this point. All he had to do was think and Greninja would immediately know. Ash placed his hands together and then flung them forward; at the same time, Greninja had flung out a powerful disk of water.

The powerful attack slammed into Charizard's chest, knocking it off its feet for a split second. However, in that split second, Greninja had already blinked across the battlefield in lightning speed and was in front of Charizard. A bright streak of light formed in Greninja's hands, slashing at Charizard and sending the black dragon flying backwards.

Greninja lunged after Charizard, relentlessly pursuing it. However, Charizard opened one eye and retaliated with a powerful Thunder Punch. Ash clutched his right side in pain as Greninja was launched back towards him.

He lifted his left arm from his right side and glanced at the blue ribbon around his hand. _That's right. Never give up until the end. Greninja and I can do much more than this. Much, much more. We have yet to see our full power as one._

Greninja began to dash towards Charizard with an Aerial Ace. As Greninja neared Charizard, the veil of water around Greninja began to swirl faster.

Ash subconsciously chanted _More! More!_ in his head as Greninja dashed towards Charizard and Alain. Ash's thoughts got through to Greninja. The veil of water surrounding the ninja frog began to swirl more quickly and erratically.

 _That's right. We can do more. We can be more. When we are working together as one._ Greninja shouted at the top of his lungs as the water veil around him shattered. The veil of water formed an enormous cross behind Greninja's back, elevating him high into the air as though he were flying.

The water eventually converged onto a singular sphere on Greninja's back, which then melded into an enormous solid, light blue ninja star.

Still high in the air, Ash Greninja pulled the ninja star off his back and launched it directly at Charizard. Charizard tried to deflect the attack with a Dragon Claw, but the powerful Water Shuriken proved too much for Charizard to handle.

The black dragon was knocked back towards Alain by the attack. Charizard got up, dusted itself off, and then looked back at Alain. The trainer and Pokemon nodded. Charizard then launched a full-powered Blast Burn, putting every last ounce of power it had into the attack. The powerful blast attack sped towards Ash Greninja in a fissure with blue flames erupting from the cracks and crevices.

However, the attack missed. Ash Greninja was nowhere to be seen, and Charizard was recharging from launching the massive attack that had almost drained it of all of its energy.

Ash Greninja reappeared behind Charizard as he slowed down from his blinding speed and became visible again. Drawing the large ninja star behind his back, Ash Greninja readied an Aerial Ace as the ninja star's edges began to glow white. Before any spectator could blink, the match was over.

 _This is it, Greninja. This is what we dreamt of._ Charizard had reverted to its normal form. Ash Greninja performed a series of backflips back towards where Ash had been standing and then reverted back to his normal form as well. Immediately afterwards, both Ash and Greninja collapsed onto one knee and began to perspire and breathe heavily.

"Alain and Charizard are unable to battle. Which means Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town is the victor, and thus the victor of the Kalos League!" the referee announced.

Alain patted Charizard reassuringly as he recalled it into its Pokeball. Alain then walked across the battlefield to Ash, where he lent Ash a hand.

"Thanks," Ash said, clasping Alain's hand and getting onto his feet. "That was an amazing battle. Your Charizard is amazing."

Alain shook his head. "No, your Greninja is amazing. Your bond transcends my understanding. When you tossed aside your Mega Bracelets, I thought you were insane. But what happened next, that totally caught me off guard."

Ash scratched the back of his head. Greninja stood up and placed his hand around Ash's shoulder. "He sure is amazing, and he always has been, even when he was a little Froakie."

The two finalists shook hands one last time as the crowd broke into a thunderous cheer. Ash's friends were all swooning with joy, and Clemont was even crying from bliss. Everyone was so busy cheering for Ash that no one noticed that Serena had slipped away and disappeared.

* * *

Diantha and Steven came down onto the battlefield to present Ash with the trophy for winning the Kalos League. Paparazzi and cameras flashed left and right as Ash nervously smiled for photos that were sure to make headlines in newspapers all throughout the world.

The sun was beginning to set when Ash was finally freed from the paparazzi. He had had enough of attention and crowds for one day, so he snuck out of the stadium via a secret back exit. This took him outside to a concealed park within the stadium.

Ash was sure that no one would be inside. He could finally have some peace and quiet and inform the rest of his team of the news. He couldn't wait to see the look of his Pokemon's faces when he showed them the trophy for winning the Kalos League.

Ash's thinking was interrupted by some shuffling bushes.

"Who's there?" Ash shouted out loud, alarmed from the sudden movement. He snuck closer and closer to the bush from which the noise had emanated. "Come out!"

There was a moment of silence. Ash stood on guard as he braced and readied himself for what would pop out. Would it be a Pokemon? Team Rocket? Or would it be something else?

Out of the blue, Serena stood up and revealed herself from the bushes. "Hey, Ash…" she nervously greeted.

"S-Serena?!" Ash cried out in disbelief, his mouth hanging wide open like an Exploud's. "What are you doing in here? And how did you find this place?"

"I guess I had enough of the crowd's cheering. And after I found out that you had won, I was so happy for you, but the crowd was really getting noisy. So I wandered about and found myself in this peaceful park." Serena looked around at the lush greenery that surrounded her and Ash.

"Wow! I came here too because I had enough of the crowd! I guess we think alike, Serena." Ash smiled sincerely at Serena. She began to turn pink at Ash's optimism and cheeriness.

Ash looked at Serena from head to toe, admiring her beauty. However, he couldn't help but feel that something was off. "Hey, Serena. Do me a favor and close your eyes for a second," Ash requested.

Serena did as she was told and closed her eyes. She felt her cheeks progressively turning more and more red as a million thoughts ran across her mind. _What is he going to do? Is he going to confess? Is he going to tell me that he won't leave Kalos? Is he going to kiss me?_

Suddenly, Serena felt Ash take off her waistcoat. "Wha?!" she squealed. Ash then lifted up the collar on her dress and began to unravel the ribbon around his wrist. He tied the ribbon back around Serena's collar, securing the knot with a bowtie. Ash finally flipped the collar back down over the ribbon and ran his hands around the collar to smooth the back of the collar out.

"Okay, done!" Ash exclaimed. Serena opened her eyes to see her blue ribbon back as a part of her outfit. The other thing she saw was even better than seeing the ribbon: Ash was visibly blushing.

"Thank you, Ash." Serena gave Ash a tight hug, surprising Ash. Ash lifted his arms slowly and wrapped them back around Serena's waist as the moon began to rise overhead, shining its pale light through the glass dome surrounding the hidden park.

"No, thank you," Ash replied, his arms still around Serena. Serena felt her heart swell and beat faster. "You don't know how much you helped me in today's battle."

The starry night sky overhead shone brilliantly as fireworks illuminated the sky to mark the conclusion of the Kalos League.

* * *

As promised, here is the cheesy amourshipping and a much anticipated development between Ash and Serena! The read may be longer than usual, and I plan to keep it that way for the closing chapters. The only thing is the lengthiness may prompt me to upload every other day, instead of everyday (because of the time consuming process of writing and then revising). Anyways, Ash has finally won the League! What will Ash do now that he has accomplished victory in Kalos? Next time: Chapter 18! Toodles!


	18. Chapter 18 - Goodbye, Kalos!

I apologize greatly for my two-three month absence! As those of you in school may know, it was summer vacation... and my editor was away traveling the world for a majority of the summer. As for me, I was spending my time in university making up classes in the summer quarter. But all of that is in the past! I know I ended the previous chapter on a very suspenseful note, and I decided that it was time to give this story closure. With that being said, here we go! Chapter 18 is here at last, and you know it- this contains AMOURSHIPPING CONTENT, so if you're triggered by such content, now is your chance to turn away. Enjoy!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 18 - Goodbye, Kalos!**

The early sun shone its rays over the horizon as the Fletchling merrily chirped their morning melodies.

Piplup stirred, awakened by the chirping of the Fletchling, and the little blue penguin Pokemon, grumpy about being disturbed, hopped onto his two feet. Then, Piplup looked over at Dawn and noticed that she was still asleep. Of course, that wouldn't do.

"Yow!" Dawn screamed out as she was startled awake and pelted by a barrage of sharp pecks from Piplup. "Piplup! What's the big idea?"

The little penguin hopped onto the table beside Dawn's bed and pointed out the window at the Lumiose City Airport.

Dawn looked hazily out at the window, rubbing her eyes with her fists. Suddenly, she jolted up and bolted out of bed.

"Oh my Arceus! My flight back to Sinnoh is today!" she shrieked.

The ruckus that Dawn made while frantically getting ready for her flight woke Ash and Serena, who were sleeping in two bedrooms adjacent to hers. Ash and Serena sluggishly got out of their beds and made their way out of their bedrooms.

"What's going on?" Ash yawned, stretching his arm high behind his head. Pikachu made his way onto Ash's shoulder, nuzzling his trainer in the cheeks. "Haha, morning, buddy!" Ash greeted Pikachu.

Ash looked to his right and saw that Serena had also woken up. "Good morning, Serena!"

Serena looked over at Ash and blushed when she remembered what had happened last night. "G-good morning, Ash!"

Ash walked over to Serena's side and said, "What's Dawn up to?" Serena shrugged her shoulders.

Dawn and Piplup emerged from the kitchen with a pancake stuffed in each of their mouths. Dawn mumbled and attempted to speak with a full mouth while motioning with her hands that she had a flight in several hours.

Piplup copied Dawn's actions, pointing at her watch, pointing outside the window, and jogging in place.

Clemont made his way out from his room, and greeted his friends. "Good morning, everyone. You're all being awfully noisy today. Could you please try to keep it down? Bonnie is still asleep."

Dawn finished her pancake in a final gulp. "Sorry, Clemont! I just remembered that I have an airplane to catch back to Sinnoh today!"

Ash's eyes lit up. "Wow, Dawn! You're going back to Sinnoh? I want to come, too!" Pikachu seemed to agree as sparks flew out of the electric mouse's red cheeks.

Serena's face paled at Ash's exclamation. _He's going to Sinnoh? That means… he's going to leave Kalos already?_

"Oh… on second thought, maybe not…" Ash stammered. "I have to go back to Pallet Town to see my mother and tell her about the great news first!"

Serena looked at her friends in disbelief. Everyone was leaving, and it was much too soon. "But- wait, Ash-" Serena whispered to herself.

Ash didn't hear Serena's low whisper. He walked back into his room to get organized. Dawn also dashed into her room, making her final preparations for her flight.

When Dawn had finished preparing and walked back out, she saw Serena standing still with a pale complexion on her face.

Dawn seemed worried to see Serena with such a grave expression on her face. "Is everything alright, Serena? You don't look so well…"

Clemont walked into the room with Bonnie holding onto him with one arm and rubbing her eyes with the other. Immediately, Clemont also took notice of Serena's somber expression.

"Serena, how are you feeling?" Clemont questioned. Serena remained silent, her eyes fixated on the floor and a shadow forming over her face.

It wasn't long before Ash came bolting out of his room with Pikachu perched on top of his hat. Ash zipped to rejoin his friends, but his electrifying energy dulled when he noticed that Serena wasn't being her usual self.

Ash lay a hand on Serena's shoulder. "Hey, Serena. You okay?"

Serena looked up, surprised from Ash's sudden gesture. She discreetly wiped the tears off her eyes and looked up at her friends with a puffy face and sad smile. "Yeah, guys, I'm fine. Thank you."

Ash and Clemont, both denser than lead, did not notice the slight setback in Serena's character. Bonnie and Dawn, however, both noticed Serena's expression and exchanged glances with each other.

Ash, still having no clue of what was going on, cheerfully paraded out the front door and yelled for his friends to follow. With that, Ash and his friends made off for the Lumiose Airport.

* * *

At the Lumiose Airport, the friends were busy chattering amongst themselves: Ash and Clemont reminisced about the time when they first met in the Kalos region; Dawn and Bonnie talked about the incident that had happened earlier, and Serena trailed slightly behind the group of friends.

In what seemed to be mere minutes, the friends arrived at the security checkpoint. Exchanging several final words with Bonnie, Dawn stood up and looked at all of her friends, new and old.

"It was great meeting you all," Dawn addressed Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie. "And Ash, it was great seeing you again. You've improved in battling so much! I'm sure you'll become a Pokemon Master in no time."

Ash chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Haha, thanks, Dawn. I'm sure you're going to do great as a top coordinator as well!"

Dawn grinned at her new friends and her old friend as she began to turn around and leave. But before Dawn departed, she pulled Serena to the side and whispered, "I know you can do it. Just go for it and confess your feelings! Don't let him slip away!"

Serena jerked back and blushed immensely at Dawn's words of encouragement. She nodded her head back at Dawn, and Dawn smiled warmly back to Serena.

With that final gesture, Dawn waved one last goodbye to her friends in Kalos as she turned around and took off into her airplane bound for Sinnoh.

Bonnie tugged lightly at her brother's sleeve. "Will we ever see Dawn again?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

Clemont kneeled down and placed his hands on Bonnie's shoulders. "Of course we will! Maybe one day, when you're bigger, we could go to Sinnoh and visit Dawn together!"

Bonnie's face brightened up immediately, and she embraced Dedenne while running around in circles from joy.

"Well guys, I think that I should head over to purchase a ticket for my trip back to Kanto as well," Ash announced.

Ash's three friends looked at him in shock. "Already?!" They all chanted in unison.

Before the three friends could react any more to Ash's sudden declaration, Serena's phone suddenly gave off a loud vibration. She reached into her bag and took her phone out, reading the notification that she had received.

Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie all huddled over to sneak a peek at what Serena's phone screen was portraying.

Serena walked forward, aware of what her three friends were doing. "Gosh you guys, can't I have some privacy?" The three friends looked apologetically at Serena. "Just kidding. It's Palermo... She's offered to tutor me for the next Master Class Tripokalon."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Ash rejoiced for his companion. "You're going to get even closer to becoming Kalos Queen, Serena!"

Clemont nodded his head in agreement to Ash. "Indeed, you'll be one step closer to experiencing your dream!"

Although Ash and Clemont were congratulating Serena and wishing her well for her future, Serena looked hesitantly to the side, distracted by something else that was on her mind.

"Look, Serena, don't be so nervous about it!" Ash gleefully encouraged Serena when he took notice of her distracted expression. "I'm sure you'll do fine this time around!"

Bonnie crossed her arms and tapped her feet silently. _Gosh, Ash, you're so dense that it's hopeless…_

"Remember that one time when we fell off the rocky cliff and talked about our dreams?" Ash continued. "I think that your dream of becoming Kalos Queen is awesome, and I know that you can do it! I'll be rooting for you the whole time, and I'll be sure to vote for you when you're performing, too!"

Serena looked at Ash with a half smile on her face. "Thank you, Ash. Your words of encouragement will always be dear to me."

Ash sheepishly rubbed his nose with his finger. "Oh, it's nothing really. Pursue your dreams with full power! And if anything ever seems tough or insurmountable, just remember, _never give up until it's over!"_

Upon hearing those words, Serena snapped out of her half-cheerful facade and began to tear up. Her hands reached for her face to cover up her tears, but her sobbing and crying became more and more audible.

"...Serena?" Ash muttered, not knowing what to do as he saw his dear friend break down in tears.

Clemont and Bonnie huddled over to Serena, patting her back and trying to comfort her. Ash looked down at his feet, and Pikachu's ears drooped when he realized what was going on.

Ash clenched his fists and teeth, and then he gradually softened up. Walking towards Serena, he placed both hands on her shoulders, and then wrapped his arms around her back. Pikachu hopped onto the ground and looked sadly at his trainer and his friends. "Chuuu…"

At that gesture, Serena turned towards Ash and wrapped her arms around him. She buried her face in his shoulder, and her attempts to speak were drowned out by her sobs and sniffles.

Meanwhile, Bonnie pulled her brother aside and explained the whole situation to him. Clemont, finally realizing what was going on, stood up and exclaimed, "Ah-hah!"

As Clemont furiously unzipped his backpack and unloaded a plethora of mechanical parts, Bonnie strolled over and picked Pikachu up, nuzzling the electric mouse Pokemon. Dedenne popped out of her pouch and joined in the friendly group snuggle.

After finally regaining her composure, Serena loosened her embrace with Ash and wiped away the tears on her face.

"I-It's b-been so m-much fun traveling with y-you, Ash," Serena sniffled. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "It's just that… it was so sudden… I mean you leaving was so sudden that I wasn't prepared for it at all, and I-"

"I had an amazing time here in Kalos as well," Ash interjected. "And I'm sorry about leaving so suddenly, but I think a visit to my mom is long overdue. Plus, I want to say hello to all my Pokemon and friends back at home and inform them about the news!"

Bonnie, Pikachu, and Dedenne looked on at Ash and Serena as bittersweet emotions swirled inside them. Clemont was still furiously fidgeting away at some sort of compartment.

"Ash." Serena sternly fixated her eyes on Ash's. "Before you go… there's something that I need to tell you…"

Ash mellowly replied. "Yes?" Serena's face began turning red, as it was already pink and puffy from crying earlier.

"I… I…" Serena stuttered, and then blurted, "I wish you the best of luck with your dream as well!"

Bonnie facepalmed herself so hard that she fell over onto the ground. Pikachu and Dedenne rushed over to her, making sure that she was alright. Clemont had just finished his latest creation and proudly held it up in the air as the ceiling lights glazed over his glasses, giving it a bright, white sheen.

Ash didn't seem to notice anything. Instead, he just thanked Serena for her words of encouragement before calling Pikachu back to him.

Bonnie was on her feet and following her brother, who was walking with his newest invention towards Ash.

"Ash!" Clemont shouted. "I have a present for you before you go."

Ash turned his attention towards Clemont and noticed the wooden cube that he was holding in his hands. "Wow, Clemont! What's in there?"

Clemont grinned from ear to ear. "That is a surprise. Promise me that you won't open it until you get back to Pallet Town."

Ash looked curiously at the cube and then at Clemont. "Sure thing, if you say so."

Clemont then looked intently at Ash. "It's been a blast being on an adventure with you in Kalos. You've taught me so many things, opened up my eyes to so many new possibilities, and showed me that anything is possible if you keep on trying!"

Clemont reached out to Ash with one hand. "I'll see you soon. Maybe we could even have a rematch the next time we see each other."

Ash gripped Clemont's hand and gave a firm handshake. "Of course. I'll be waiting until then." Ash then turned his attention to Bonnie. "Bonnie, take care of your brother from now on, okay? Make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble. And good luck with taking care of Dedenne and other friends that you might meet!"

Bonnie smiled brightly at Ash. "Yeah, I will! And you be careful and safe and catch lots of Pokemon too! I want to see them when we see each other again!"

Ash nodded back at Bonnie. Then he faced Clemont, and the two nodded their heads in respect for each other. Lastly, he looked to Serena.

Serena was staring back at him, and her eyes were starting to get watery again. Ash smiled his dearest smile back at Serena, which seemed to calm her down.

"Take care, guys!" Ash remarked. "I'll miss all of you!" Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder and waved back at his trainer's companions.

"Pika-pi!" the electric mouse called out.

Ash turned around and made his way over to buy a ticket. Pikachu curiously sniffed at the cube that Ash had tucked under his arm. "Yeah, I wonder what's in there, too. We'll find out when we're home, buddy!"

* * *

As Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie all made their way back to the Prism Tower, Clemont began to interrogate Serena about her feelings for Ash.

"How long have you liked him?" Clemont continuously pummeled Serena with questions. "What about the dance? Why did you go with me?" Clemont kept on nagging. "How come I never knew?"

Bonnie tugged at her brother's arm to distance him from Serena. "Gosh, brother, you're being so insensitive! Let her have her personal space! Besides, I think she's still sad from Ash leavi-"

"No, Bonnie, it's okay." Serena interrupted. "Thank you." Serena began to answer all of Clemont's questions, much to his satisfaction. At long last, she had answered his last question.

"Ahh! How come I never knew of this?" Clemont rhetorically questioned himself.

"Because you're denser than lead," Bonnie insulted her brother.

Clemont defeatingly accepted his sister's insult as fact. "Well, does Ash know about your feelings?"

Serena looked down at her feet. "...No…" Clemont was taken aback by her response, while Bonnie seemed to have already accepted the fact.

"I panicked… and I didn't get to confess my feelings to him," Serena regretfully admitted. Clemont tried to console Serena, but Bonnie had already had enough of Serena's inability to act.

The three friends' chattering was cut short when the shadow of the looming Prism Tower caught their attentions.

"We're here!" Clemont exclaimed. Several figures and a limousine were scattered about in front of the Prism Tower entrance. "Hmm… I wonder what's going on," Clemont pondered.

Serena squinted her eyes to focus her vision on a very familiar figure. "No way…is that- Miette?! Shauna too?! And Aria and Palermo?!"

Serena immediately dashed over to her female friends. "Wow, guys! I haven't seen you all in a while! How have you all been?"

Bonnie followed closely behind Serena while Clemont struggled to keep up with their pace.

While Serena and her friends were busy exchanging greetings, Miette butted into Serena's face. "Where's Ash?" she mockingly teased.

Serena suddenly stopped talking, and soon Shauna and Aria quieted down as well. Miette held her hands over her mouth, afraid that she had invoked something bad.

In the midst of the silence, Palermo made her way over to Serena, telling the other girls to give them some space. Aria, Shauna, and Miette made their way over to Bonnie and Clemont and began to exchange greetings.

Serena was looking at the ground again with her fists clenched tight and her eyes shut. Palermo walked towards her and stopped inches in front of Serena. "What's the matter, Serena?"

Serena loosened her fists and immediately extended a hand to Palermo when she realized her future mentor was in front of her. "Greetings, Palermo. It's nice to see you again! Have you been keeping well?"

Palermo softly grabbed Serena's extended arm and placed it back to her side. "Serena, I've been doing well. What are you hiding from me? Have you perhaps given up on being a Pokemon Performer?"

Serena immediately responded, "No! Being a Pokemon Performer… is still my number one dream!"

Palermo placed her hand under Serena's chin and lifted her face up. "It doesn't seem that way to me. It looks like you have something else you're hiding from me that is more dear to you than Pokemon Performances."

Caught lying, Serena bowed respectfully to Palermo and apologized. "I'm sorry! I do have something else-someone else on my mind that is more important to me!"

Palermo smiled at Serena's confession. She calmly responded, "That's alright. There is nothing to worry about. You're still young, with a whole life ahead of you. Take your time and discover what it is that you truly seek."

Serena, surprised at Palermo's calm demeanor, straightened her back and looked at Palermo as she lectured her.

"I don't want you to feel obliged to take Pokemon Performances professionally just because I offered to train you," Palermo continued. "Do you still have my card that I gave you last time?"

Serena nodded yes.

"Good. When you feel that being a Performer is what you truly desire, you can contact me anytime," Palermo added. "I'll be waiting for you, Serena."

"Yes! Thank you very much, Palermo!" Serena gratuitously replied. Palermo called for Aria and then made her way back inside the limousine. The sleek, black car drove away as Serena looked onwards and smiled brightly to herself.

Miette dashed back over to Serena. "So, I heard from Clemont and Bonnie that Ash is leaving back to Kanto. Oh, and that he's at the airport right now."

Shauna sauntered over and added to Miette's comments. "Serena, are you going to chase after him? I remember how flustered you were that one time when we were talking about how Ash is your inspiration."

Serena chuckled to herself and then smiled at her friends. "Yes, Miette. All of that is true. And Shauna, I _am_ going to chase after him. After all, _Palermo told me to chase after my dream."_

Serena began sprinting towards the Lumiose Airport. Shauna, Miette, Bonnie, and Clemont looked amongst each other and nodded.

"Come on, I'm not going to let my boyfriend leave Kalos without saying goodbye to me!" Miette joked as she followed behind Serena.

"Wait for us!" Shauna and Bonnie exclaimed, trailing behind Miette.

Clemont looked onwards at the distant Lumiose Airport with despair. "Oh, why me?"

* * *

Serena bolted into the Lumiose Airport at full speed, prompting people to part and make way for her. Miette and the others trailed closely behind, except for Clemont, of course. Serena fixated her eyes on the "Kalos-Kanto" terminal on the other side of the airport.

 _My, my. Serena sure is fast when it comes to chasing down what she really loves,_ Miette thought to herself.

Shauna and Bonnie caught up to Miette and ran side-by-side with her. Miette looked around and didn't see Clemont. "Where's your brother?" Miette asked Bonnie.

"Oh, don't worry about him." Bonnie stated. "He's always like this."

As Serena neared the terminal, she noticed that the line of people were filing into the airplane. She frantically looked around until she found the familiar sight that made her heart warm: a boy with a red cap and a Pikachu mounted on his shoulder.

Serena's face brightened up. _I made it._ "Ash!" Serena called out at the top of her lungs and the bottom of her heart.

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu nudged at Ash.

"You heard that too, buddy?" Ash questioned. "That sounded a lot like Serena…"

"Ash!" Serena cried out once more. This time, Ash turned his attention to where the sound was coming from. Then, he saw Serena running towards him.

Ash stared at Serena in disbelief. _Serena… what is she doing here?_ Serena made it to Ash, and she hunched over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Miette, Bonnie, and Shauna all caught up soon after.

Ash was shocked, surprised, and curious to see all of his friends there. But most of all, he was relieved to see Serena again. "What brings all of you here?" Ash asked his friends.

Miette was the first to speak up. "Well, obviously I couldn't let my boyfriend leave Kalos without saying goodbye to me!" Miette exclaimed while puffing up her chest.

Ash slightly reddened at Miette's expression. _B-boyfriend? Did she just call me her boyfriend?_

"Just kidding!" Miette jokingly teased. "We're here because a special lady went sprinting off to find her 'dream.'"

Shauna chuckled at Miette's mocking and teasing. "Yup! Of course, we came along to say goodbye to our friend as well!"

By now, Serena had caught her breath and was ready to get down to business. "Ash."

Ash turned his attention to Serena. His cheeks turned pink at seeing the familiar face that had always supported him throughout his journey. "Yes, Serena?"

Serena turned immensely red. "I…I…"

Ash looked on curiously at Serena as he waited for her response.

Miette was grinning from ear-to-ear as she was finally witnessing what she had tried to achieve all along. Shauna sighed and laughed when she saw how excited Miette looked.

Serena stammered and then froze. Bonnie saw what had happened and facepalmed herself again.

Ash glanced at Serena, who was turning redder and redder by the second. "Uhm… Serena? What do you have to say? The airplane is going to depart in thirty minutes."

Bonnie had enough. All of a sudden, she dashed in between Ash and Serena, slid on the ground on one knee, and held out an arm towards Ash.

"Ash! Would you take Serena to Kanto with you? S'il vous plaît!" Bonnie exclaimed.

Ash was caught off guard with that sudden question. "Wait, what? Take who with what to where and when?"

At that moment, Serena mustered up all her courage. She calmly strode over to Ash, and held his hand with both of hers.

"Ash. Ever since we were kids, I have always looked up to you. I have always believed that you were so optimistic, kind, and loving towards Pokemon that I couldn't help but admire you. But in the time that we have spent together in Kalos, being with you the whole way through has confirmed that all my ideas towards you were true."

Ash was blushing greatly now. He was taken aback by Serena's praise and admiration for him. Serena took another deep breath and then continued.

"But being with you has also confirmed something else…" Serena shuffled her feet and let go of Ash's hand. "You told me to go and pursue my dream with full power. And today, I tried my best to follow your words of advice. I was lost at first because I wasn't sure what my dream was. But now, I'm sure of it."

Serena closed her eyes and placed her hands over her heart. Then she fixated her gaze onto Ash and confidently declared, "Yes, I'm sure of it now. Ash, my dream is to stay together with you!"

Ash was speechless at Serena's confession. Miette and Shauna looked on happily for Serena, and Bonnie was jumping up and down with excitement.

"So Ash, I want to ask you something." Serena smiled and blushed as she looked at the face of the person whom she admired so much. _Yes, this is it._ "Will you take me to Kanto with you?"

Ash grabbed Serena's arm and pulled her towards him. He hugged her tightly as he whispered into her ear, "Yes."

Serena's heart was pounding from nervousness and joy at the same time. _I did it!_

Ash loosened his embrace on Serena and began to chuckle. "Hahaha! Yes, Serena, I will take you to Kanto with me!"

Miette walked up to Ash and tugged on his ear. "Alright, you lovebirds, this is great and all, but aren't you forgetting something?"

Ash looked on cluelessly while trying to relieve the pain in his ear.

"SERENA DOESN'T HAVE AN AIRPLANE TICKET, YOU DONUT!" Miette shouted as she smacked Ash on the back.

"Excuse me! Coming through! Lumiose Gym Leader coming through!" Clemont shouted while perched on top of Luxray, who was leaping towards the group of friends. "Pardon me!"

Bonnie looked at her brother and wasn't sure if she should be proud or ashamed of him. "Typical Clemont…too lazy to run or walk on his own!"

Clemont hopped off Luxray and recalled his partner back into his Pokeball. "Never mind the formalities! Ash, open the cube that I gave you!"

Ash looked perplexedly at Clemont. "But I thought that I couldn't open it until I got ho-"

"Open it now!" Clemont urged.

Ash opened the wooden cube and inside of it was a mini merry-go-round contraption with Clemont, Ash, Serena, Bonnie, and Pikachu in it. And, of course, there was an airplane ticket inside the cube as well.

"I figured that if you ever wanted to come back and visit Kalos, you could just use that pass! It's a ticket that allows for a round trip between Kanto and Kalos," Clemont explained. "But as for now, I think that you could use it for something else."

Ash looked down at the ticket inside the wooden cube. "Here, Serena. This is for you." Ash handed the spare airplane ticket to Serena.

Just then, the megaphones announced that the flight from Kalos to Kanto would depart in fifteen minutes.

"Shoot, we have to go now!" Ash exclaimed. "Thank you, Clemont, for the extra ticket! And thank you, Bonnie, for everything! Miette, I'll see you when I come back to visit! And Shauna, tell Trevor and Tierno that I said hello!"

Serena reached into her bag, pulled out a giant pouch of goodies, and handed it over to her friends. "Thank you all for everything! I'll be back to visit! Bye!"

Ash and Serena flashed their tickets to the flight attendant and then made their way through the corridor that led to the airplane. The two looked back at their friends and waved a final goodbye before turning around and boarding the airplane.

"Well, shall we stay to see their airplane off?" Clemont suggested. The friends all nodded in agreement.

Before the friends could make their way to the takeoff center, Chespin popped out of Clemont's Pokeball without command. "Ches-pin! Pin-pin!"

Chespin closed his eyes and began to sniff with his nose. The grass type Pokemon followed a sweet, rich aroma that lead him directly to the goodie bag that Bonnie was holding. "Ches-pin!"

The four friends all gathered around the goodie bag to open it and see what was inside. All of a sudden, Miette's Slurpuff came out of her Pokeball, too.

"They're poffles!" Bonnie exclaimed. Chespin was already stuffing his face full of food. Slurpuff was using her psychic powers to snatch some poffles for herself, too.

"Why don't we all eat while walking to the takeoff center?" Clemont suggested.

"Sure!" everyone nodded in agreement.

Miette took a bite out of a Pecha Berry poffle with an Oran Berry garnish. "Well, I guess they're OK."

* * *

Up next is Chapter 19... I haven't decided if I wanted to end the story there or make a Chapter 20 that describes some fun stuff that Ash and Serena do in Kanto. What do you guys think? Let me know! For now, toodles!


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